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The man chuckled. "She is a priestess of Zeal. Of course she does. Now, if you'd like to follow me, I'll find a room big enough for your protector to make sure I keep my hands to myself."
"Actually," Jamik said, "I'm going to trust you this time. I'll wait in the hall."
A moment of confusion washed across Nalph's face, but he didn't say anything. The man simply led me toward the back of the long shop and into a side room. Inside, it had racks for hanging clothes and multiple cloth measuring tapes. Turning his back to claim a pair of those, Nalph asked me to disrobe and step onto the round dais in the middle.
It wasn't much, just big enough to raise me up yet allow Nalph to still reach all the way around. I had a feeling the extra height would be necessary when judging the length of a dress. While I stripped, Nalph kept himself busy with pins and a collection of colored cloth swatches until I assured him I was ready.
Then he turned, and the cloth fell from his hands, only the string looped through the corners keeping it from making a mess. The man's mouth fell open and his eyes jumped from my collar bones to my torso, down to my hips, and then the legs below.
"Zeal's words," he breathed. "You're covered in god-lace."
"Hence the haters," I explained.
Nalph was nodding, yet still stunned with awe. "Well, now that I can see what you're working with, I must say, you've been choosing the wrong things. I believe you should make this lace..." He moved closer to trail a finger up the top of my forearm. "...speak for you. The design is so powerful." And he leaned closer. "Look at all the detail! I can't imagine Zeal's own lace would be much different."
"Quite a bit actually," I mumbled to myself.
He flashed me a smile. "Well, tell me what you imagine Zeal's lace would look like, Nariana. It will keep your mind off my roaming hands as I get these measurements."
"It would be much more detailed," I started, feeling Nalph run the tape down the length of my bare back. "And the God of Temptation iscoveredin lace. I swear every mark we have is matched to some piece of his, but larger. Ours is larger, I mean. Zeal's skin would be almost black with the designs scrawled across it, and each of them means something. I'm not sure what, and we have an entire section of the priesthood dedicated to understanding it. Still, it almost feels like our marks are meant to say something about us."
"What does yours say about you?" Nalph asked as he moved down to my legs.
"That I'm a mess?" I asked. "Indecisive, because I have all the Paths. Um, maybe scattered?"
"Complicated," he countered as he made his way before me. "Arms straight out to the sides please." He looped the tape around my breasts. "Because nothing about this design looks like a mess to me. It's intricate. It's complex. It's also beautiful, strong, and yet feminine. It's meant to trick the eyes. These large blocks are almost enough to distract from the myriad of swirls each one is made from. It's almost like the space between the dark pattern is yet another pattern."
"So what do you think he's trying to say?" I asked.
Nalph moved to measuring my waist. "If I created a design like this for someone, I think it would be a love letter. No one, not even a god, puts that much effort into something unless it's meant to impress the recipient."
"But what does it say aboutme?" I asked.
"That you always have another layer. That you're more than what anyone can see at one time. That you are a prize just out of the normal person's reach." He moved the tape down to my hips. "This pattern was meant to distract. It draws the eye where men should gaze upon a woman, and yet the parts the eye naturally wants to skip are the most detailed. I think, Priestess, that your god intends to throw you in everyone's face, and yet he knows they will never see the depths of your potential. They will be too distracted with the beauty to see the power lying underneath."
"Ok," I said, thinking that over. "Then how would you dress that person? My mentor always says that the clothes make the mindset."
He knelt before me to measure my legs. "Are you willing to trust me?"
"Considering that I have no idea what style works best for me, yes."
He looked up with a smile. "I'll send you back with a few outfits today and then make some more that will be even better. Now, Jamik said you are an initiate, so most of your clothing will be worn in a classroom setting, correct?"
"Yes, for the most part," I agreed. "Although I do have a weapons course, and I'll need something to spar in."
"Heels," he told me. "I know that sounds rather impractical, but if Amerlee is your mentor, then it means you will graduate to spend most of your time wearing them. Learn to fight in heels, Priestess, because when you need to protect someone, that is what you will be wearing."
Ok, he had a point, but all I could imagine was a broken ankle. "Can we start small?"
"Wide," he corrected. "A broader heel will bear weight more easily, but training your foot to adjust to the angle is going to be the hard part. Balancing on your toes will become second nature, yet if you misjudge, you'll want a heel sturdy enough to take a beating. I also intend to make your lace into a declaration." He stood back up. "Clothes should enhance your natural beauty. Beauty is power. Power is what everyone desires most. Either to take it or to bask in it. Your lace is your power, so let us make use of it?"
I nodded. "I said I'll trust you, so I will."
"Perfect." He lifted his hand, offering to help me down the single step to the ground. "I will be right back with something suitable for you to wear home. There is a robe hanging on the back of the door. I promise it is fresh. I will have your guardian check on you in a minute."
He left, I grabbed the robe, and then a moment later, a soft knock tapped against the door. "You covered?" It was Jamik.
"I'm good," I called back.
