The whole affair is utterly unlike anything CT has ever taken part in before, a distant cry from military formalities or academic events from long ago. The pervasive sense of community among the locals is more familiar, reminiscent of the neighbourhoods she used to roam in a city so much larger and yet no less self-reliant, but even after months here she still feels out of step with it. Unsure of her place in this odd little town, outside of the work she's doing to try and find a way to free it.
(She's even less sure of how to feel about everything Dahlia, but for all her distrust of everything the woman is and the earned distrust in return, she has no desire to sour the day any.)
But still she smiles and plays her part, in her nice new dress and low, practical heels that frankly do very little to reduce the height difference between herself and her plus-one. The ceremony comes and goes and they're left to settle for lunch, extravagant foods and aromatic teas making their way across the tables, and CT turns to Ripley with a crooked, amused smile tugging at her lips.
"Luckily for us both, I was never at any real risk of winning this thing," she ribs, good-naturedly. There's no self-depreciation in the words, she never had any expectation of anything else—the other candidates are infinitely more suited to the criteria and CT doubts she would've been nominated if not for Ripley.
Inviting her to take up the role of her plus-one was 'retaliation' in the most joking sense, and she can't say Ripley's reactions to the whole procession don't amuse her. Nor can she say she's unaware that the cut of her dress rather draws the eye, especially after a playful 'So, how do I look?' before they were all expected to really fall in line.
That's okay. It's not as if she can't appreciate how Ripley looks all dressed up, either. She's got eyes.
"As for what you tried to ask earlier, this is the first event like this I've actually attended here. Though I believe Mourner's Night involves about as much ceremony of a different kind."
eat, drink and regret your decisions
The whole affair is utterly unlike anything CT has ever taken part in before, a distant cry from military formalities or academic events from long ago. The pervasive sense of community among the locals is more familiar, reminiscent of the neighbourhoods she used to roam in a city so much larger and yet no less self-reliant, but even after months here she still feels out of step with it. Unsure of her place in this odd little town, outside of the work she's doing to try and find a way to free it.
(She's even less sure of how to feel about everything Dahlia, but for all her distrust of everything the woman is and the earned distrust in return, she has no desire to sour the day any.)
But still she smiles and plays her part, in her nice new dress and low, practical heels that frankly do very little to reduce the height difference between herself and her plus-one. The ceremony comes and goes and they're left to settle for lunch, extravagant foods and aromatic teas making their way across the tables, and CT turns to Ripley with a crooked, amused smile tugging at her lips.
"Luckily for us both, I was never at any real risk of winning this thing," she ribs, good-naturedly. There's no self-depreciation in the words, she never had any expectation of anything else—the other candidates are infinitely more suited to the criteria and CT doubts she would've been nominated if not for Ripley.
Inviting her to take up the role of her plus-one was 'retaliation' in the most joking sense, and she can't say Ripley's reactions to the whole procession don't amuse her. Nor can she say she's unaware that the cut of her dress rather draws the eye, especially after a playful 'So, how do I look?' before they were all expected to really fall in line.
That's okay. It's not as if she can't appreciate how Ripley looks all dressed up, either. She's got eyes.
"As for what you tried to ask earlier, this is the first event like this I've actually attended here. Though I believe Mourner's Night involves about as much ceremony of a different kind."