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She absolutely charmed the staff of the store so much that the designer herself came out from the back. She then proceeded to charm her as well, admiring her designs and patterns and beautiful garments. She was so genuine and darling, everyone couldn’t help but fall into her spell.
Watching her, Serval thought he understood the allure of her channel a little more.
It wasn’t that people were so interested in sweets or cooking or things like that. They came for her personality. They enjoyed her. She was marketing herself, and it just so happened that she liked sweet things. If she built things or painted or solved puzzles instead, he was sure that her viewership would still be there, because it wasn’t about what she did, it was about who she was.
He left her there with an assurance that she could buy anything she needed for the night as he went to get his own suit. Like her, he would be wearing traditional shinuk styles. He tried to keep at least a few formal outfits on his ship, but they were all either allowee in style or in the broader Standard style that was worn on Holotulle – capital of the Coalition and thereby a gathering place for all species.
But he was pretending that he was taking his new mate on a tour of the galaxy. It would make more sense, therefore, to dress as the locals did.
He thought he was quick, however, when he returned to the dress store, it was to find Sophie sitting in the front, chatting with the staff like they were old friends, back in her own clothes. She had a shopping bag beside her, but he couldn’t see inside.
“Finished already, lov’alel?” He asked when he stopped at her side.
Sophie turned to him, her entire face brightening, making his heart quiver delightedly in his chest. Her unabashed happiness in him brought him joy.
His mate.
“Serval, you’re back,” she declared, standing. “We were waiting for you.”
“I thought you’d take longer. You could have picked any dress.”
“I did,” she assured him. “I asked Kiseck what her favorite design was.”
“Kiseck?”
“Oh, she’s the designer here. These are all her clothes. I can’t believe that she was right here. I feel like I’m on a TV show or something. But anyway, I asked her what her favorite was, and so she brought me this. And she already had an idea of what shoes and jewelry would go best with it, and since she is the expert, I deferred to her expertise. She even gave us a discount since we’re going to be at Prince Qui’tal’s party and she’s going to have her design displayed there. But don’t get excited. I gave her a huge tip to thank her.”
She spoke so quickly, so happily. He could only nod along. But it just cemented in his head that Sophie really was perfect. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to know shinuk fashion this soon, so she had found someone who did, and leaned on them. Then, not only did she promise her exposure for more business, she also made sure to compensate her completely, even when being offered otherwise. That kind of thing was what earned loyal friends.
“Bye, everyone,” she said, waving at the staff who all smiled back at her. Like they were friends. Like they might be meeting again tomorrow. Sophie just had that sort of power. She gathered people around her and made them like her.
And Korvii really thought his Hela would be able to compete with her? Ha!
“What dress did you get?” Serval asked as he walked with her back to the hotel.
“Not telling,” she smiled. “You can wait for the big reveal tomorrow.”
“Tease.”
“That’s the best part of dressing up! Showing off.” She laughed, leaning into his side, putting her arm around his waist as he put his over her shoulders. “Do we need anything else?”
“Yes, actually. I’m buying you a present.”
“The dress and shoes and accessories aren’t a present?”
“I’m buying you another present.”
She laughed. “You know, you don’t have to get me things.”
He scoffed. Of course, he would buy her things. She was a beauty, and image was important. He needed to give her beautiful things to match her. Things she could show off to her world, so that they could see how much he spoiled her. His mate deserved no less.
And besides, the dress was necessary for work. He needed her to look her best so she distracted the other people at Prince Qui’tal’s party. This present was something just for her.
“A combot?” She asked, surprised when he took her into the electronics store. “You gave me one already.”
“True. We’re upgrading yours.”
He had ordered her one when he found out his mate was human and, therefore, wouldn’t have one. But he had made that purchase without knowing her. Now that he had gotten to know her, he wanted her to see the options they had available. Combots had a standard set of features, but they could also be customized for the user.
