Chapter fourteen,
Reunited
Ray was busy finishing her dress, she had doodled a particularly nice dress that she wanted to wear, and had been working on it for the past two days. She would find a mask to match it later. Just then, there was a knock on the door. "It can't be the mailman. He came by earlier. Maybe he forgot something...?" Ray said, walking to the door.
"Sarah!" she exclaimed, seeing Sarah standing there in the door. Sarah seemed to be equally surprised. "Ray?" she asked. Ray smiled, "Come in, come in." she said, hurrying her friend inside. In the door way stood a few very small goblins all looking very expectant. "Oh, here." Ray said, digging a few coins out of her pocket and handing them to the goblins.
Sarah had put her bag down and was looking about the shop. "Wow." she said, bewildered. Ray giggled. "It was a lot messier when I first came. I've organized it a lot since then, come upstairs." she said, picking up Sarah's bag and showing her upstairs.
Sarah followed slowly behind, her eyes wandering everywhere. "Ray, wow." she said as Ray pulled out a chair for her to sit in. Ray went over to the sink and poured them both a glass of water. "Thanks. I thought you might like it." she said, handing Sarah a glass and then sitting down herself. "So," Ray started, "How'd you get away?" she asked. Sarah took a sip of water. "Said I was going to Nikki's. My parents won't call, and Nikki never knew." she answered. Ray nodded. "That works. So, I'm gonna make me a place to sleep so you can sleep in the bed. Or, if you don't care, 'cause I don't, we can both just sleep in the bed. Friends do that, right?" she asked, picking up Sarah's bag once more. Sarah shrugged. "I don't care." Ray smiled. "Alright then. We can go right to making your dress now."
Ray came back just as Sarah was finishing her water. "So, pick a color or a theme. Or both! We also have base dresses that we can add onto if you like." Ray said, showing Sarah downstairs. She was so excited to get started. Her dress was almost finished, so she could spend time on Sarah's now.
Sarah followed behind her. "I dunno. How about blue? A light blue maybe?" she asked, sounding a little off. Ray turned around and looked Sarah in the eye. "He's not here. He's not going to bother you. Okay? You're alright, here with me. Chill." she said. Ray knew Sarah hated it here, and the Goblin King. Ray couldn't blame her. If she had a younger bother, taken away, even if by her own wish, and then didn't get him back when she asked, she too would be a little hostile towards the King. Butthats how things worked. Life just wasn't ever fair. Sarah seemed to be taken aback by Ray's sudden outburst and nodded. "Sorry." she said quietly. Ray put an hand on Sarah's shoulder. "T'is alright. Now c'mon, we had a dress to sew. Light blue you said, right?"
Ray found a plain light blue gown, much like the one she had worn when she first got here, but it a different color. Sarah stood on the stool in front of the mirror while Ray was busy making sure it fit right whenHoggle walked in. "Sarah! You came!" he said, surprised and happy. Both Ray and Sarah giggled. "Hey, Hoggled." Sarah said. "How can I help you?" Ray asked. Hoggle shrugged. "I was wondering if you made suits. I need one for the masquerade." he said. Ray shook her head. "No, I don't. But Capeka does. I'm sure she wouldn't mind coming in to sew you a suit. Do you know where she lives?" Ray told Hoggle . He nodded. "Uh, Yea. Thanks. See ya later, Sarah." and he left. Ray and Sarah looked to one another and just started giggling. So was the way with girls.
By the time Hoggle came back with Capeka, Ray had made Sarah a beautiful blue fairy. Or, at least, she was a beautiful blue fairy in progress. "Wonderful job, Ray. Is this Sarah, your pen-pal?"Capeka asked. Ray nodded. "Capeka, Sarah. Sarah, Capeka." she said, introducing them. Sarah nodded and Capeka welcomed her. Then she and Hoggle went to another stool and mirror to start their work.
"Thanks you, miss." Hoggle said as he left. Capeka came around to see how Ray and Sarah were doing. Sarah wore a puffy light blue gown with see-through blue fabric draped loosely around it. Along with that, Sarah had long fingerless gloves with a sash attached. Jewels were in the process of being sewn on to give it sparkle. Ray had cut off the spaghetti straps and left it sleeveless. "I'll add wings and the rest of the jewels tomorrow morning. Then we'll go get masks." Ray told Sarah. Sarah nodded and looked at herself in the mirror. "Ray, this is beautiful!" she said, all her worry seeming to be melting away. Ray smiled. This is good. She needs to enjoy herself here, just this once.
The sun was setting now and Ray's stomach grumbles loudly. Sarah giggled. "I never thought you would sew so much you forgot to eat." she said with a smile. Ray had just helped her out of her dress and put it on amanniquine. "Hehe, yeah. I really get sucked into my work. But lets go get some dinner. Capeka, would you like to join us?" Ray asked, putting on a jacket and slipping on her heeled sandels. Over time and with the huge amount of balls she had attended, Ray had gotten used to heels. Capeka shook her head. "No 'hun, but thank you. Have fun, you two." she said, waving good-night.
Ray and Sarah stayed at Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner and ate and talked. Ray introduced Sarah to Gutaki and Zari and that was a blast. But then they had to close up, so Ray and Sarah headed back to the shop. On the way, Toffee J. began to follow Ray again. "Oh, hey Toffee J." she said, picking up the small cat. "See, this isToffe J. Isn't he just the cutest?" Ray asked, showing the little cat to Sarah. Sarah gently scratched him between the ears. "He is cute." she said with a smile.
Once they got to the shop, Toffee J. ran off. "Aw." Ray said, sadly. "Maybe he'll come back in the morning." she said, opening the door for Sarah. Sarah nodded. "Maybe. He did last time, right?" she asked. Ray shrugged. "Yeah, but whatever. He's his own cat."
"So, what does your dress look like?" Sarah asked as Ray rummaged through a chest a jewels and pins. "Oh, um..." Ray blushed. "You might not like it all that much..." she said, finally finding the pin she was looking for. It was a diamond-shaped topaz. Sarah cocked her head to the side. "Why won't I like it?" she asked confused. Ray sighed. If only Sarah didn't hate the Goblin King so much. "It's sorta like, um,y'know, his outfit." Ray said, feeling really uncomfortable. Sarah just stared at her. "What?" she asked, not looking so mad as confused. "How are you going to that off?"
"Here, I'll show you what I have so far. I still have to finish up a few things, but it's almost done." Ray said, showing Sarah over to a mannequin that was covered with a cloth. Sarah stood and waited. With a deep breath, Ray pulled the cloth off.
Ray's dress was a plain blue-gray sleevelss gown with a V-neck. Over top the dress was a black leather tailcoat with a tail that was just a bit longer than the dress and a large collar that stayed stiffly in place, just like how Sarah had described the King's jacket so many times. Sarah just stared at it. "Oh.." she said. Ray couldn't tell if she was mad or not. I hope she isn't... Ray thought, she didn't want to have offended her friend.
"So...?" Ray asked, looking at Sarah worriedly. "It's..." Sarah started, "It's good. I like it." she said, giving Ray a smile. Ray sighed, glad that Sarah was alright. "I just, never thought I'd see a dress like this. It's, I just saw him wearing it when I first saw it, it was.... Odd." Sarah said with a unsure smile. Ray burst out laughing. "Him, in a, dress? Sarah, you're great." she said, her sentences broken with giggles. Sarah laughed with her. "I don't, know. It just, popped into my head." she said, giggles overflowing from the both of them.
The giggling finally stopped when they both ran out of breath. "We should go to bed." Ray said, pinning the topaz pin to the tail coat to give it some sparkle. Sarah sighed. "I thought you liked to stay up late." she said, following Ray upstairs. Ray laughed. "Yeah, I do like to stay up late, but I don't really get to anymore. Life had speed up for me. There's so much to do now, and whenever there's a ball, "no rest for the hardworking"y'know ?" Ray said, making little quote marks with her fingers. Sarah chuckled and shook her head. "You're so grown up, Ray." she said looking down. "I am older you. But, Sarah, why are you so hell-bent on growing up? It's really not all that great, not in your world anyhow. Just be you, you'll feel so much better." Ray encouraged. Sarah looked up with a smile. "Thanks, Ray.
They stayed up much later just talking like they used to in bed. But finally they both couldn't keep their eyes open anymore. Ray let her mind wander, and slowly slipped into unconsciousness. But she could tell Sarah had a harder time falling asleep.
Toffee J. woke Ray up in the morning. "Oh, hey Toffee J. You want some milk?" she asked, her eyes still only half open. He mewed softly. Ray stretched and got up out of bed. Sarah was still sleeping and ray let her sleep. It was dawn, the mask shop wouldn't even be open yet. "You can sleep for another hour or so. Then we need to go." Ray said, putting the blankets over Sarah, it was a chilly morning.
Ray poured Toffee J. a saucer of milk and a glass for herself. "So, how was your night?" she asked the small cat. He mewed and shrugged. "Okay, huh? You can sleep here if you want. I don't care." she said, petting him. He was so soft! Toffee J. mewed and began to purr which sounded funny when he was drinking. Ray giggled. She loved cats.
Finally she couldn't wait anymore and she woke Sarah up. "Sarah, it's time to go. We can get breakfast on the way there, 'kay?" she said softly. Sarah rolled over. "It's cold." she mumbled. Ray chuckled. "Yeah, you can wear one of my jackets. But it gets a lot warmer later in the day." she said. Sarah moaned, but got up out of bed.
After grabbing a bag of hot biscuits, Ray showed Sarah to Hidden Faces. "Oh wow." Sarah said with a mouth full of biscuit. Ray nodded in agreement. "Totally."
They walked around the shop, just looking at all the masks at first. "This place is so cool, Ray." Sarah said, looking at a white angel mask. "Heh, Yeah." Ray said, drawn to a demon mask. "Almost like his..." she said, remembering what Sarah said about the Goblin King's mask when she had danced with him. The difference between this one and the one Sarah talked about was that this mask only covered half the face and the face was a dark-amber in color and the horns were black. "Would you like to purchase that one?" asked a familiar voice. It was the goblin lady form before. Ray smiled down at her, she was about a little bit taller than half of Ray's height. "Oh, um..." Ray thought back to her dress. It matches. "Yes, but I'm waiting on a friend, can you hold it for me at the counter?" she asked. The lady nodded, "Sure honey." and she took the mask down and hobbled over to the counter.
Ray wandered around the shop until she found Sarah. She was looking at a crescent moon mask almost the same color as her dress. It also had little blue gems on it. "I can get that one if you want it." Ray said, seeing Sarah's face. She was obviously very much in love with the mask. "Oh, really? But it's so expensive..." she said, turning the tag for Ray to see. "Three-hundred coins....Oh well. I'll get it for you, this should be the ball of your life, splurge won't ya?" Ray said, nudging Sarah in the ribs playfully. "Really? You'd get it for me?" she asked, the joy in her face obvious. Ray giggled. "Why not?C'mon, I already found mine." she said, taking the mask down gently.
The goblin lady was very careful to wrap the masks well, so they wouldn't brake or crack on the way back. "Have fun at the ball!" she called after Ray and Sarah as they left the shop. "Thanks!" Ray said, with a smile. "So, you like your mask?" she asked. Sarah nodded her head vigorously. "I love it! Thank you, Ray. You're the best friend ever." she said, hugging Ray. Ray hugged her back. "Right back at you."
When they got back to the shop, Capeka was there working on Hoggle's suit. "Morning girls. Were you successful?" she asked, looking up form her sewing. Ray turned the sign on the door over to say "closed" and closed the blinds. "Yeah, we both found masks. How are you?" Ray asked, ushering Sarah over to the stool and mirrors.Capeka shrugged. "Alright. I haven't sewn a suit in a while, but it's turning out alright." she said, holding up the suit for Ray and Sarah to see. It was a plain black suit with gold trim and smoke-like embroidery. "I can't seeHoggle in that." Sarah said as Ray helped her into her gown. "I don't know Hoggle like you do, but I can't see him in it either." she said with a giggle.
Ray spent the next hour making Sarah a pair of wings, just like the wings the fairies had, but they were smaller, so Sarah didn't have to worry so much about sticking someone in the eye. After that, Ray sewed on the rest of the jewels. "Here," she said, handing Sarah her mask. "Try it on with the dress."
"Alright.." Sarah said, taking the mask and tying it on.
It took her a moment to get it tight, but when she looked up, Ray couldn't help but feel proud of herself for making such an outfit. "You look awesome, Sarah." she said. Capeka nodded. "Very beautiful, dear. Good work, Ray." she said, taking a small break from her work. Sarah turned this was and that, looking at herself in the mirror. "Ray, Capeka is right, you did wonderful. Thanks you, so much!" Ray blushed. "Thanks, guys." she said, happy that Sarah was enjoying herself.
"Now, lets see your dress." Bornia said. Ray turned around to see Bornia and Alopa standing behind her. "You did a wonderful job on Sarah's dress." Alopa commented, setting her bag down and walking around Sarah. "Yes, quite nice." Bornia agreed. "But go on, get your dress on and lets see what else e need to do."
Ray came out a moment later, wearing her dress and jacket. "Something's missing..." Sarah said, much to Ray's surprise. "What?" she asked, getting up onto the stool. "Boots. You need leather boots. And gloves. And you still need makeup."Sarah said. "I thought you didn't like to think about him." Ray said, looking herself in the mirror, making sure everything looked okay. "I don't like to think about him, but what choice do I have, you've got the hots for him. I might as well be a good girlfriend and give you feedback." Sarah explained with a sigh. "Thanks, Sarah."
"Don't mention it."
From there, Ray just had to cut a little bit off the bottom, it was still too long in the front, and she had to sew the pin onto the jacket, so it wouldn't fall off during the ball and she dug out a pair of gloves with just the tips of the fingers cut off. "Now, lets find some shoes." she said to Sarah. Bornia and Alopa had left and Capeka was finishing up Hoggle's suit.
It took forever to find shoes that fit, but when they did, it was worth all the work. Ray found some blue strap-heels for Sarah, and Sarah found Ray a set of black-leather boots that buckled up the sides. Hoggle came by then, to pick up his suit. The ball was only a few hours away.
Ray was putting her dress on when Sarah tapped her on the shoulder, "How are we going to get to the castle?" she asked. Ray giggled. "He didn't tell you in your invite? He's sending us a carriage." she said. "Oh.." Sarah said, and Ray could tell she was slipping back into suspicion. "If he bothers you I'll stare him in the eye 'till the end of the world, he'll hate that, 'kay?" she said, turning to face Sarah. Sarah nodded. "Thanks. Could you help me with my dress?"
Once Sarah had her dress on, Ray went to getting her makeup done and her hair fluffed. Once she was done, Sarah looked like the queen of the fairies. "How can I help with your dress?" she asked Ray and Ray buckled her jacket on and slipped her gloves on. "You can do my makeup," she said. Sarah smiled. "Alright, have a seat."
It didn't take long for Sarah to do Ray's makeup and Ray was grateful, the carriage arrived just as she was tying her mask in place. "Lets dance." she said, and they set off towards the castle.
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