communication breakdown, it's always the same [nikola]

So the woman had caught the slip up. Of course she had. But contrary to being turned off by it, Penny seemed intrigued and amused, almost excited at the idea. What sort of woman had she found herself sitting with? Nikola couldn’t help but be interested herself. Either she was a shy woman with no sense of self preservation, or she was very, very good at acting. Or perhaps simply intrigued by what was going on. Regardless of the circumstances, Nikola was definitely more interested in learning more than she had been before. Of course the woman seemed reluctant to share much about herself, and that gave the witch pause.

Allowing the woman to serve her, Nikola found humor in the fact that normally she was the one taking the initiative. Of course in an odd turn of events, the german woman was the one out of her element, and not the other way around. And it wasn’t like the other woman was confident or assertive. Instead, Nikola tried it, enjoying the flavors of the lamb mixed with all sorts of other flavors that she once again couldn’t identify. And the spice was there, right at the edge of what she could tolerate, but it wasn’t so bad that she was frantically reaching for her tea like she had when she’d tried the chunkier chapatis. “Oh… hot. Good. but hot. Not too bad, but I think… I don’t think I could eat too much of it.” she smiled, but helped herself to a little more anyways, sipping her tea herself as she grazed and sampled the various dishes the two of them had in front of them.

The conversation quickly returned to Sigilmancy, and in this case, she was happy to divulge her information. “Sometimes I make clothes for work. Quidditch, Dragontamers. Sigils for protection and wards in clothing helps. Also for interesting effects, like a wedding dress that is white for the wedding but turns slowly darker and darker blue over the night until it looks like the sky… that was a favorite.” she smiled brightly, remembering that one, even if the bride had been a bit of a nasty woman. Her experiences with weddings were either one extreme or the other, purely lovely people, or disastrous monsters that nothing could please.

She was so absorbed in their conversation that uncharacteristically she hadn’t even noticed what had been the fate of the couple who had been arguing with the hostess. Nikola was normally far more observant than that. “Oh no, not married. No time. They would be bored. Probably leave.” she smiled, but the second half of the question caught her off guard. “There are a few? Sometimes. When I visit places I meet people, but no one permanent.” the answer was truthful, but also crafted in a way that she was insinuating an interest in both but at the same time not confirming or denying anything. “And you? Do you often eat alone like me?” she asked, phrasing her question a bit differently as she continued to pick at her food. Obviously they’d ordered too much, even with two of them, but it was certainly delicious, and Nikola wasn’t quite ready to put down her fork just yet.

Penny thoroughly enjoyed watching Nikola eat the spicy curry. She had quite an expressive face, and Penny was entertained as she watched her struggle with the spice. She bit back a laugh; she didn’t want to offend the other woman, but it was amusing.

“You are very brave for trying it” She said, truthfully. Too many other people she had met categorically refused to try new foods. To come to another country and taste the food of yet a different country, in front of a total stranger? Well, not just anyone would do that.

Penny listened intently at Nikola’s descriptions of the sorts of clothing she used sigils for. It seemed fascinating, and again Penny wondered why English fashion just relied on wand work, like the kind that charmed Hogwarts ties the color of house a student got sorted to. That was all fine and well, but the kinds of things Nikola was talking about mere wandwork couldn’t sustain for long periods of time.

“That sounds like fascinating work. Do you find that materials made from creatures react differently to the sigils?” Penny hoped she wasn’t geeking out too much. Truthfully she could think of about a million questions ask the fashion designer about sigils, but figured that this one would be most straight forward to answer.

Penny was caught completely off guard by Nikola’s response. She had never heard anyone talk of casual romance so openly, and speak of marriage in such a disparaging way. Then again, she only had her parent’s marriage as an example, and she didn’t really make a habit of conversing with other people about marriage and relationships. Penny didn’t fail to notice the woman’s use of “people” instead of “men” or “women”, but still wasn’t completely sure she knew what it meant. She was after all, not a native speaker of English, and it could be that in German that would be a natural thing to say? At hearing that Nikola often met “people” during her travels, Penny couldn’t help but blush deeply. What if she could be one of those people the fashion designer meets on her travels, for a steamy night, and then leaves the next morning? The idea was somewhat exciting, but Penny thought that Nikola was rather too much for her. She was just a fresh Hogwarts graduate, and a wealthy fashion designer was way above her caliber.

“I do often eat alone, actually, yes. I haven’t been on many dates yet. I didn’t have many friends in school, and men and women tend not to notice me much.” Penny said, frankly. A year ago this didn’t bother Penny, as she wasn’t much looking for others to notice her, but she found that starting her adult life she rather did want to be noticed.

“In school I was…a book worm, do you know the phrase? And I never pay attention to my looks. People still treat me like a school girl, but I don’t blame them.” Penny felt somewhat comfortable talking about this with Nikola; maybe it was the knowledge that she would likely never see her again that made her comfortable talking about her social awkwardness. Still though, Penny didn’t want Nikola to think she was feeling sorry for herself, so she fell silent, focusing on sipping her tea

Nikola smiled as the spicy bite slowly died down in her mouth, taking a bit of the mint Chaplis to help with it, before returning to the chicken. She would certainly eat more of the lamb, but she would have trouble conversing while she did so, and unusually, Nikola was a little more interested in her new companion for the evening then the food, as much as she was enjoying both. “I enjoy new things. New people, New foods, New… experience.” she offered as explanation, brushing off the idea that she was brave for trying a dish.

And she could go on for hours about her own work, though she did want to learn more about Penny, and translating everything in her mind was exhausting to wax on for hours about herself. “Yes. Dragonhide does. It is… sometimes easier, sometimes harder. The sigils need to work with the material, not against. Definitely when using a magical beast’s hide. I do not know if that makes sense?” she hoped it did, even if she wasn’t as clear as she would have liked to be with her words. Perhaps she should get about learning those linguistic spells. But there was a matter of pride, for Nikola. She wanted to be able to actually speak the language. Just as she wanted to actually craft the garments with her hands. It was why she had never bothered with them before. But perhaps, once in a while they could come in handy.

The blush that saturated the other woman’s cheeks was positively adorable, and the effect Nikola had been going for. Even if nothing came of it, she was certainly enjoying the playful banter and the questions so artfully left hanging. “My family… is very important in Germany. My name keeps most people from wanting to speak to me. They think that i might think myself above them, I suspect.” it wasn’t entirely true, but she had no intention of elaborating further. “If I have company for dinner, it is family; or I am not in Germany.” she smiled a little, sympathising with the girl about the lack of close friends. And of course she’d ruined things with one of the few that she did have… but Cezary was merely a passing thought in her mind tonight. There were far more interesting things to hold her attention.

“Book worm? You eat books?” of course consumption was a common word used for more then just the physical act of eating, and Nikola’s smile gave away the fact that she did in fact understand the phrase, even if she had to spend the extra time to think about what it meant. “I do not know, but i can understand. I also spent much time in books and away from people in school. I had… much… difficulty.” she couldn’t quite place the right word, pulling out a small black book and murmuring something in german. The book fanned through its pages before stopping, and Nikola frowned, before putting it away. Obviously whatever it had showed wasn’t what she’d been looking for. “I wanted to study instead of deal with my problems. It did not work so well for me, but it did work for my education. They called me the Ice Queen.”

When the woman spoke about not caring about her looks, the woman’s attention turned back to what Penny was wearing, this time with a more critical eye. “You like black? Or you do not know what colors work best for you?” she asked, intrigued. The girl had a lovely figure, and a similar build to her own, if not for the lack of height. With a little bit of magical adjustment, perhaps Nikola could teach her a thing or two… of course not in the middle of a restaurant… but inviting the shy, yet obviously interested girl back to her hotel might scare her off, or make her think that Nikola was implying far more then she intended to. Not that the German witch would mind; but only if her companion were comfortable with it. Dressing the girl up on the other hand….

“It is sad when people make assumptions about a person just because of their family” Penny agreed. Penny herself would be occasionally teased for having a muggleborn father, but she didn’t see how that had anything to do with who she was as a witch.

These were heavy topics, so Penny was glad for an insertion of humor. She suspected that phrases sounded very odd in different languages, and were not so easily translated. She could definitely understand using books as an escape; she must have consumed half the Hogwarts library during her third year when her father was imprisoned and Death Eaters ruled the school.

“Books are….simple. More simple than people. I feel the same way.” That was precisely the reason that Penny had very little friends. Books could be complicated, but at least they were static things, and could, with enough time and effort, be deciphered. People were all over the place; there was no formula to deal with them.

Penny finished her chai, immediately regretting that she could not use the cup to cover her blushing. So, Nikola had noticed her….lackluster outfit. Well, of course she did.

“Black is practical. Truthfully, I have no idea about what looks good on me….” There was an idea forming in Penny’s mind; an idea that had been there ever since Nikola had mentioned her career.

“The thing is, I have a date tomorrow, and have no idea what to wear. It’s in a restaurant of one of the fanciest hotels in London, the Carthin have you heard of it? Well I have nothing suitable, and since I find myself sitting across from a talented fashion designer, I wonder if you might help?” Penny had already enlisted help from others and gone shopping for this date, last week. And then Donn’s owl had arrived with the invitation to dine at the Somerleyton, and Penny knew that what she had picked out would be inadequate. From what she saw of Nikola she liked her style, and the woman would definitely have a good eye to know what would look good on her. Besides, maybe Nikola could see her in some state of undress in a dressing room….

Penny’s fantasy was interrupted with the arrival of the waiter, who slapped down a check on the table. How rude Penny made a face. Then she noticed the long line facing the hostess. She had been so engrossed in their conversation that she had completely missed the fact that they had been dining for quite a while now, and people were definitely eyeing their table.

Despite the difficulty in the language barrier, Nikola was amused by how much they’d talked about already. It was wonderful to find someone with similar interests in a foreign country and also willing to so freely talk about whatever seemed to cross their minds. The food had been delicious, and left sipping her tea while they talked, the German witch couldn’t help but smile. “There is nothing wrong with Black, it is a color i am quite fond of myself. But you must pair it with others. Accents, otherwise it looks as though you are trying to hide. Unless you are trying to hide, of course...” it wasn’t intentional, but it was an observation of the girl’s shy nature, at least until they’d hit on several subjects that the woman across from her had been very into.

And that just about killed Nikola’s playful and flirtatious mood. So her dinner partner had a date the next evening, probably with some stuffy man who thought he could impress her with money. No, this girl was one stimulated by intellect and curiosity. Money would not seduce her. But as the waiter came over, Nikola found herself unwilling to refuse. Despite knowing she wouldn’t be bringing the girl back to her hotel at this point, as she didn’t meddle in other people’s relationships like that, even if it was a tentative one, she still did not want the evening to end. She was enjoying herself, and only had her hotel to return to; at this point alone.

“Normally I would offer to dress you myself, but most of what I have that you could wear is back in Germany.” and certainly well outside the girl’s budget. As nice as Penny was, Nikola didn’t give her stuff away for free. Not unless she was getting something else out of it. “So I suppose we will make something off the rack work for you, yes?.” there was an amused smile that crossed her face as she said it, curious to see what the girl would gravitate towards.  Without a word she picked up the bill and handed it to the waiter, along with some money, clearly covering all of it, and then some. “You shared your table, your food, and your knowledge. I will pay for the meal.” she left no room for argument in that matter. “And I have heard of the Carthin, you will need the money for your dress, I suspect.” she offered in consolation, before moving to stand. “I do not know where is good for shopping, so you will have to take the lead?”

“Hmm, accents…” Penny said, half out loud and half to herself. She was processing the information Nikola was now giving her and trying to remember it. She may be already nineteen, but just because she hadn’t learned how to dress herself well until now didn’t mean she couldn’t start learning.

Thoughts of clothing scurried out of Penny’s brain at the phrase “I would dress you myself” as a clear image of Nikola literally dressing her flashed in her mind. Get a grip on yourself Penny! She wasn’t entirely sure she knew what off the rack meant, but she rather thought it meant in a regular store, how mere plebeians dress.

At the arrival of the check Penny plunged a hand in her purse to search for her wallet. Before she could even get to the bottom though, Nikola had already returned the bill with the full amount and then some. And then a lot, actually. She blushed deeply; she didn’t like being reminded that she didn’t have much money, though not paying rent definitely helped her financial situation. On the other hand there was something exhilarating about having someone throw money around on her account. The comment about needing her money for the dress, however, felt a little like a low blow.

“That is…very kind of you, thank you.” Penny didn’t previously think that fashion designers necessarily made a lot of money, but her opinion was starting to change. Nikola had an air about her that had Penny guessing that paying for this meal barely registered as an expense. Meanwhile Penny had been saving up for a while for her date tomorrow, only giving in to eating out to celebrate finishing her project at work.

“There’s a store I had my eye on just down the street. Actually I had been planning on visiting it after dinner anyway.” They stepped out of the restaurant, and Penny tried to ignore some of the looks they were getting from people standing on line. The wind from earlier had calmed down some, so it wasn’t quite as cold outside, though Penny was happy yet that they didn’t have long to walk.

They arrived at Flourishing Fashion, and Penny couldn’t believe she had an actual fashion designer with her to help. The store was rather small, the walls lined with dresses of different sorts. In each corner were one or two mannequins wearing some of the dresses. They were magical mannequins that moves on their pedestal to illustrate how the garments moved. She had been at the store twice before, but ended up leaving without buying anything, overwhelmed by all the options. As they entered the shop keeper welcomed them, “Welcome to Flourishing Fashion madames, is there anything I can assist you with today?”

“Err, no thank you.” Penny said quickly. She did not want a stranger to help her when she was already so comfortable with Nikola. Besides, Penny noticed that this very same shop keeper had greeted her differently than when she had entered alone and barely got a “hello”. Penny had a suspicion that Nikola was the kind of person that sales people fawned over. After all, everything about her screamed money.

Penny cleared her throat, now a little unsure of herself. “So, I was thinking this one.” She said plainly, walking towards a pastel purple dress. She didn’t quite know why she gravitated towards the dress, except that it was purple, and she loved purple.

“What do you think?” Penny was eager to see if she had any sort of fashion instincts, or should she just give up completely.

Glad the girl did not protest, Nikola graciously followed her out of the restaurant, stopping before they left completely to pull her coat back on and button it carefully. She was more then happy to allow Penny to take the lead, following as the young woman explained that she had intended to stop there anyways. “It has been… a long time since i was in an actual store.” she admitted, though amused by the prospect. She’d had to buy a dress for Dieter’s failed wedding. That was the last time… not a pleasant memory to be sure, and she was glad to replace it with something else. Besides, even if it was a bit insulting to ask someone for help with work related matters, Nikola was glad for the chance to get to spend more time with the woman.

The first thing that caught Nikola’s eye was the mannequins, or rather, the fact that they were moving. An excellent idea that if she had more space to work with, she could be encouraged to try out, perhaps. Or if she ever opened a storefront for her own stuff. Though she doubted if she’d ever actually be present at the shop if she did. She liked the way she worked now, out of her own home with each piece something new and different. The woman who approached them was dismissed with polite words from penny and an accompanying hand gesture from Nikola. They didn’t need her help, that was why Penny had brought Nikola along of course.

And Merlin did the woman need help; considering the first piece she’d grabbed. It wasn’t hideous, but pastels were definitely not for Penny. And the dress looked like something one would wear to a school dance, if one were 14. And Penny certainly had the figure to pull off something far less modest. Almost forgetting that this was for the woman’s date with some man, she smiled, and shook her head slowly.

“Purple suits you. But with your… skin, you want something far more vibrant, and more in warmer tones. On the redder, burgundy side. You could pull off blues and  greens but they’d need to be the right shade. Bright vibrant colors, and darker...”  the word she’d been looking for was complexion, but the German woman didn’t seem phased. Nikola trailed her fingertips over the rack, looking at the variety of dresses with an appraising eye, though with more difficulty then she would have liked.

Instead she turned back to the dress that Penny had pulled out, gesturing to the top beading. “And this… this is for child. Not to offend, but it is no good for a first date. You want to impress, for him to see you as a woman.” she hoped that made more sense, turning back to the rack. Now that they were walking, she could see Penny’s legs, and they were lovely, something that deserved to be shown off. “You have good legs. You want him to see them.” The dress she pulled from the rack was short, but elegant and not slutty, and in a lovely shade of burgundy. She wasn’t fond of the straps, and would have done it strapless, or with something else, but that couldn’t be helped.

Penny’s eyes widened as Nikola spoke. Well it’s official; I don’t know how to dress myself. Penny would have never in a million years thought about the shade of color she chose, or how it would work on her skin. She was impressed at Nikola’s suggestion; Nikola herself was pale (and delicate and beautiful and has a dagger), and Penny was sure most of her clientele, being rich Europeans, were probably pale as well. It took someone who really knew their stuff to be able to give advice for different skin tones.

“Vibrant and dark, I understand” Penny parroted the words back to Nikola, as if they were in a classroom and Nikola the teacher. Well, in many ways that was exactly the case. As Nikola browsed the racks, Penny did the same, now focusing exclusively on either vibrant or darker tones. She ran her hands along each garment too, wanting to chose something that would feel good against her skin.

Nikola drew her attention back to the dress that Penny had picked before and proceeded to….tear her apart. Penny bit her lip to stop her from blushing as Nikola called her pick childish. You want him to see you as a woman she had said…well that was difficult, because Penny barely saw herself as a woman. Only in the past few months did she start to think about things like relationship and sex, and was slowly connecting with her body. As a student she had never done so; always preferring to connect with books, and with her brain rather than her body. She was only starting to become comfortable with the idea that she was a woman, and not a girl anymore.

And it was moments like these, when a beautiful woman was complimenting her legs, that made that transition that much easier. Penny blushed, unable to form a thanks in response. In truth, she never felt comfortable showing off her legs; the problem was she had too much leg. She had always felt slightly awkward that she was taller than all the other girls, and even some of the boys.

Penny took the dress from Nikola, and was finally able to utter “Thank you” in response. Well, she wouldn’t offend the woman by not trying on the dress, even though she didn’t often like shorter dresses. Maybe it was time to come to terms with her long legs, instead of hiding them.

Penny went into the dressing room and quickly put on the dress. The straps were thin so a bit of her bra poked out the sides, but Penny figured it was the kind of dress you either bought a special bra for, or didn’t wear one at all. Other than that, she loved the color, but couldn’t get past how short it was. In her eyes she looked like some kind of freakishly tall ballerina. Penny took a deep breath to collect herself, and went outside to show Nikola. She waited to see what the other woman’s reactions would be before offering her own.

“You were so right about the color, it looks great on my skin! I like that the top shows off my…” Penny trailed off, a little embarrassed, so she simply gestured to her chest, which was quite exposed. Well, she had said that she should look like a woman.

“But I feel less comfortable with how short it is. My legs are too long, and I don’t have nice shoes…or money to buy new shoes. It feels too exposed with the length. Maybe a long dress?” Penny hoped she wasn’t being too critical, or that the other woman would think she was unhappy with her choice. She had learned a lot so far about what looked good on her, and she didn’t want to anger Nikola; not just because she desperately needed her help, but because she wanted to be her friend.

Nikola was pleased to have such an eager pupil, and could almost see the gears turning in the girl’s mind as she processed the information that Nikola had given her. The places the other woman’s eyes were now drawn were much better selections and color choices. She was enjoying herself despite the fact that they were shopping for her date with some scummy brittish wizard, (not that Nikola knew anything about him, but she was assuming such, if he was taking the girl to some fancy rich restaurant. To her it seemed like throwing money around. No… for a girl like Penny, you’d find some small but elegant hole in the wall, with dim lighting and an intimate environment. One where deep and meaningful conversation could happen with privacy and perhaps soft voices, leaning into each other to be heard. She barely knew the woman but even she could see that.

The german which was worried that her words would offend, but there wasn’t a way for her to be anything but blunt with her limited ability with the english language. But though the girl seemed to hesitate for a moment, but recovered. It was obvious from her expression that the girl was uncertain about that particular garment, but she agreed to try it on anyways. Nikola smiled and nodded, deciding to wait by looking at other dresses, both for inspiration and for her companion to look at. When the girl emerged, Nikola turned her head and could not help but stare, her eyes trailing almost eagerly over the other woman. Both standing, she could see now that the girl was just as tall as she was, and her earlier assessment of the woman’s height was off. But those legs… the fashion designer was definitely a legs sort of woman, and Penny’s were devine.

“Yes… I see now. You and I are similar height, short dresses make us look like we wear…. Tutu.” she grinned and let out a soft laugh. “Longer yes…. But still shows a bit of leg. Sometimes less is more. Give hints of what else they might see is better then showing everything. Make sense?” she pulled out a rather plain green dress, with a shorter front and longer back, but not as short as the dress that Penny was currently wearing. “This dress not good perhaps, but the cut could be good for you...” she put it back and pulled out a simple black dress with a plunging neckline almost to the waist, and a long skirt with a slit up to the thigh. “But skirt like this…. This would be best I think. But this neck probably a bit much for you?” she put that one back as well, hoping the girl would take her rules to heart and join in the searching.

Penny was relieved when Nikola agreed with her assessment. She wasn’t about to leave the store with a dress she didn’t feel comfortable in, but she also didn’t want to offend the fashion designer.

“Yes, I certainly don’t want to look like I’m wearing a tutu” Penny said, joining in the other woman’s laughter. Penny didn’t quite understand what Nikola was on about with the length of the dress. How could a dress be long, but still show off some leg? And then Nikola proceeded to show her exactly how. She loved the color of the first dress she pulled out, but Nikola pronounced it as not the one, and quickly moved on. On second thought, it was rather plain. It would have been good for a regular date, but tomorrow was not going to be a regular date. The second dress was interesting; she would never wear something so low cut, but the slit up the side of the leg was an interesting idea.

“Yes, now it makes sense, thank you. I like the second skirt, but you are right, the top is too much, and the fabric does not seem comfortable.” And Penny was definitely trying to stray away from black.

Penny saw Nikola pull back a little, and she understood that she should join in the search. She started browsing the racks, nervous under Nikola’s experienced gaze. She felt like she was sitting a Charms practical examination; would Nikola be impressed by her performance?

Penny pulled out three dresses that she thought could work, and headed to the dressing room. The first dress was the same beautiful deep green color as one that Nikola had pulled out. Penny smoothed the front of the tulle before stepping out to show Nikola. The dress was nice, but she felt it rather covered up too much. That, and the fabric was rather itchy on top. She just didn’t feel comfortable in it.

“It is a beautiful color, but not comfortable” She said to Nikola, explaining her less than enthusiastic face.

The second dress was a dark blue, with the same slit on the side. It looked nice, but there was something about the way the fabric shone that Penny didn’t quite like. Dutifully she showed Nikola, but frowned, making it clear that she wasn’t crazy about the pick.

The third dress Penny had picked mostly for the beautiful dark purple color, and the smooth velvet. The fabric was almost cool to the touch, and it just felt….well, sexy. Penny liked the top; it showed off just enough, without being too exposing. The more she thought about the thigh slit the more she liked it. It was sexy AND practical.

“I love this one! The velvet is so comfortable and feels nice on my skin. And look” Penny stuck out her left leg past the slit. “I can put my wand on a holster here” She said, pointing to her thigh.

“What do you think?” Penny asked nervously, biting her lips. What if she had been completely off the mark?

Nikola was pleased that penny understood what she was saying, and was happy that the girl seemed to agree with her. Though she was still looking, herself, and had spotted one or two that she would recommend if nothing Penny found would work, she was more interested in what her companion would be drawn to. She nodded in approval of the dresses the girl started picking up, though the first one she wasn’t so certain of. It was lovely, and it did give Nikola an idea for how to make a better version of it herself, but the dark green just wasn’t the right hue for Penny. A little brighter would have worked better.

“It doesn’t look like it would be, and depending on the lighting, the skirt is see through.” she raised an eyebrow, a little amused, wondering how Penny would react to that information. She rather hoped for a good blush. “The color is gorgeous, but not quite the right shade for you. A little brighter, or a little more yellow… Comfort is very important though.” she stepped closer to her and felt the fabric, clicking her tongue in disapproval, dropping her voice so the shopkeeper wouldn’t hear her. “This is cheep fabric. Easy to work with, but not good for against skin. Much better ways to get the same look without the itch.” she graciously stepped back to allow penny to try on the next dress, but was a little pleased that Penny was starting to pick up on things. “This one is nice, but fabric makes it look young.” she also didn’t say that the overly shiny fabric made it look muggle. She didn’t know where the woman stood on that sort of thing, and this was england. Everything was super sensitive when it came to even a hint of that sort of thing.

But when she came out in the last dress, despite the fact that it was velvet, Nikola smiled. “Yes. this is good. Very good.” she walked over once more, and fixed a few places where the velvet had gotten hung up on itself, smoothing out the slit for her, and one of the straps. “You are very lovely. I am now jealous you are not my date.” there was an amused, teasing tone to her voice, but it was more to keep the guessing game she’s started at dinner going. “Velvet is not a fabric I like, but it is hard to work with and holds onto anything that brushes against it. Like cookie crumbs while i’m trying to sew.” she grinned a little, as if to show that her dislike of the fabric was because of the designer’s perspective and not wearing it. “This is a very good choice. And very classy.”

Penny wondered if the lighting was just right in the dressing room for the skirt to be see through. The thought of Nikola’s appraising eyes on her body made heat rise to her cheeks. Nikola stepped closer, and Penny had a sudden urge to completely close the distance between them. Before she could even squash the urge (for Penny didn’t just do things like that in fancy dressing rooms) Nikola had moved away.

By the second dress Penny started to feel more confident that she knew what she was doing, and Nikola’s comments just reinforced that. She definitely did not want to seem young; she was already painfully aware that at only 19, she was definitely younger than Donn, and she had a feeling she was younger than Nikola as well.

Penny knew the third dress was the one, with how Nikola was looking at her. It reminded her of some of the faces she made as she ate something delicious. Penny preened a little as she turned around to afford Nikola a complete view of the dress.

“Thank you, you taught me well” Penny said, honestly. She would be stuck with the mediocre lilac dress if Nikola hadn’t been there. Now she looked like a sexy, sophisticated witch who was ready to dine at one of the most expensive restaurants in London.

Suddenly Nikola was close to her again, little butterfly touches on her arm to fix a sleeve, or on her thigh to straighten out the slit. The touches were innocent enough; like a designer perfecting her work, but Penny felt them burn with much more. She smelled delicious; like the morning after rain in the woods, and Penny couldn’t hold back the shiver from running through her body.

“We shared dinner and conversation; so it’s like a date, no?” Penny was trying to keep the air of flirtation between them, but as Nikola talked about fabrics like only a fashion designer could, Penny felt that the moment was over.

“I am glad you approve” She said honestly, and stepped back into the dressing room to change into her plan old robes again. She went to the register to pay for the dress, trying not to think too hard about the number of galleons spilling out of her purse and into the hands of the mildly rude shop owner.

As they exited the shop, Penny turned to Nikola, “Where are you staying?” She realized the implication behind that question and blushed, “I mean, if you’re unsure of what direction to go, I can help you” she hurried to clarify.

Nikola laughed lightly, winking at the other witch, murmuring softly right before she pulled away after straightening the woman’s dress for her. “Well I suppose, yes, we did have a date.” of course, the perks of a date for Nikola were more… physical. She really didn’t do relationships. She had friends. And people she slept with. And sometimes they were the same people, but the two aspects were exclusive of each other. Penny was someone she could definitely see becoming both of those things eventually… but Nikola tended to avoid people in relationships on her list of lovers or potential lovers. A friend yes however, and she couldn’t help but enjoy teasing her.

Following the woman to the front, Nikola could tell that the woman had been observing them, and probably listening. With her german accent it was possible that the woman knew who she was, but she doubted it. Still, she smiled almost condescending as the woman at the counter gave her almost a dirty look before helping Penny. “I think you chose a Lovely dress… perhaps next time I could design you something. You have good figure.” she added as they walked out, only a little sad that their evening was coming to an end.

At Penny’s offer to help her find her way back, despite the fact that she knew where she was, Nikola smiled. “Thank you. I am unfamiliar with this place.” there was a grin on her face as she stopped to tell Penny where she was staying. “Top floor of the Carthin Hotel.” considering that Penny had asked her earlier if she’d heard of the rather expensive and fancy Hotel while they’d been dining, it was amusing to Nikola at least. As the two of them began walking, Nikola found herself far more curious about this girl that had stumbled together with her. “I can get there from the Leaky Cauldron. But i’m not sure which direction that is...” she was more then happy to allow Penny to join her on the walk back. “Perhaps next time I am in london we can meet up again? I enjoy learning about new places from the people that live there.” she offered, not wanting to sound like she was looking forwards to it too much… “and if you ever have need to be in Germany, you must contact me.”

They had arrived at the leaky cauldron, and Nikola stopped in a shadowed part of the street to produce a business card from her pocket, if only in part to get Penny to stop there as well, the pale lavender card almost seemed to change colors when tilted this way and that, invoking deeper hues of purple to go with the silver embossed lettering spelling out her name and where she could be reached by owl. “In fact...” the two were standing very close together now, and Nikola couldn’t help but leave the woman with a lasting impression, letting her fingers trail down her companion’s arm.. “I should very much like to show you my country… and my books on sigilmancy… and perhaps a few more private places.”

With her hand still on her arm, Nikola leaned forwards and kissed Penny on the lips, somewhat hidden in the shadows between streetlights, their bodies touching for the breifest of moments. She wondered if the other girl was going to pull away, but despite the shock, she almost seemed to lean into it, Nikola breaking it off just to leave her wanting, before whispering softly “and if that boy you’re seeing turns out to be no good, perhaps I can show you how we do it in Germany...”

At that, Nikola pulled away with a wink and a smug little smile on her lips, disappearing through the doors of the Leaky cauldron to head back to her hotel, unable to get that grin off her face.

(Out)
Permission from Maya to include penny's reaction to the kiss

Penny wondered what it would be like to have someone design a piece of clothing just for her. In her imagination she saw Nikola, draping fabric over her body, inserting pins close to her flesh. Yes, that definitely seemed like fun.

“It would be my honor” Penny replied, truthfully. She didn’t care much about clothing, but to have a piece fabricated directly from a designer? Who wouldn’t want that?

Penny was feeling somewhat giddy when they left the store. It had been an excellent night; good food, good company, and she found a dress for her date the next day. She was so distracted by her good mood that it took her a moment to process Nikola’s next words.

“The Carthin? That’s where my date is tomorrow…” Penny trailed off. She had of course told Nikola that earlier. And she had just failed to mention that she was staying in the same place? No, Penny thought rather that Nikola held that information to herself on purpose. She seemed like the kind of woman who said and did things at precisely the right time for maximum impact.

“Well, now I feel even more confident that we found an appropriate dress. I’ll walk you to the Leaky Cauldron” Penny said, recovering from the surprise.

Penny wondered if this was indeed how it felt to be on a date. They weren’t showing any outward display of affection, and well, they had only exchanged innuendos and implications. Still, though, as Penny was walking with Nikola she felt nervous butterflies in her stomach. She was relieved to hear that Nikola wanted to see her again, and while she would be happy to see her in London again, Penny really wanted to travel.

“Of course, I should very much like that. We can send letters, too.” Penny added, not wanting to leave it up to chance that she would see Nikola again.

Just before they arrived at the Leaky Cauldron Nikola stopped, and gave Penny her card. She was standing close to her now, and the tension between them reminded Penny of the dressing room. Closeness and touches that were for some innocuous reason and yet…and yet….

And then Penny felt Nikola’s lips on hers, warm and supple. Her mind was a whirlwind; desperately trying to catch up to this new development, but as Penny felt Nikola’s body under hers, she found that her brain let her body do the thinking. Just as she was leaning in to the kiss, Nikola pulled away with a wink, and ran towards the Leaky Cauldron, leaving Penny there alone in the shadows wondering what just happened.

She stood there, rather in shock, her right hand touching her lip as though not quite believing the kiss was real. It had been a bit of a wild night: She had met not just a stranger, but a wealthy German fashion designer, saw her dagger, bought a fantastic dress, and kissed said wealthy German fashion designer. Penny only wondered how tomorrow’s date was going to live up to this not-date.

{out}