Posted by Civilian Karilan Massat (Owner, Quill and Parchment Books) in A Lot Of Clothes For Nothing To Wear

Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in A Lot Of Clothes For Nothing To Wear

Posted by Civilian Karilan Massat (Owner, Quill and Parchment Books) in A Lot Of Clothes For Nothing To Wear
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

She smiled and held out her hand. “Let’s go to a mirror.”

In the bathroom, she stood behind Karilan and rested her hands on their shoulders, gazing deeply at the person in the mirror. “I know this is hard, and yes, we do dress for other people. It’s a part of how social interactions work. But for a moment I want you to gaze in the mirror, take in the rich red of the fabric, the way it sits on your body and tell me how it feels to wear it. And if you can’t find the exact words”-she tapped her fingers on one shoulder-“show me.”

~Eela

Karilan looked themselves for a long time… and then they reached up and set their hand on Eela’s fingers.

Eela opened up her mind again.

Gray. Flat gray. ‘Nothingness’ was the only apt descriptor. “That is what I see…” they said softly, “… what I always see. But I want to see the lights that you see. That is who I want to be.”

Karilan

Eela slipped her arms gently around Karilan, embracing from behind, exuding care and warmth. “You know what the wonderful part it is? You already are Karilan, you just have to find your own special way of showing it.”

Dropping her arms, she gestured for them to follow her back into the bedroom. “Try to imagine if you will, someone who walks down the street and has that same sort of lights we’re talking about. Do you have anything in these piles that is even a little bit what they would be wearing?” She might yet need to just help them find a single outfit for this dinner with Kenzo, but she’d much rather they find their own way there themselves, even if it was one item.

~Eela

Karilan was silent a moment and then they turned and left the room; coming back a moment later with, of all things, a t-shirt. Plain white, and they handed it to Eela.

Eela too the shirt and unfolded it, holding it out.

Opening it up it was plain save for black writing across the front: Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History.

“That is one I have had for a long time, but I have never worn. Ironic, isn’t it? I’ve been too afraid of what people would think or say.”

Karilan

Eela grinned. “I love it. it’s very true. Throw it on. With this red suit and leave the jacket open. You can take the jacket off too and it still works. It works for being at the shop, and you can dress it up even more with some accessories, if that’s your thing. Honestly? It’s what I do to make being governmental more fun,” she said with a smirk. Though she was becoming more flashy as the days went on and she was happy for it.

~Eela

Karilan took off the jacket and top, pulled on the shirt, looked down, removed the shirt, removed their brassiere, pulled on the shirt, and then looked at themselves in the mirror and smiled. They… she at that particular moment… pulled on the jacket and looked, and the smile grew bigger. Suddenly her skin flushed bright red from her ankles to the top of her bald head. “I can be whomever I want. Whatever I want. Whenever I want. And no one can tell me I can’t.” shesaid loudly and with conviction. Moving left and right, she smiled at Eela and then her eyes went wide. “Just a minute.” and she was gone.

Eela’s heart felt so full in this moment and she positively beamed at them. It was simply a beautiful moment to witness. “Yes, you can,” she said softly.

A bundle of gray and black clothes walked into the bathroom and fell to the floor. Karilan started rummaging through them, tossing things over her shoulder until she had found something specific. She stripped all the way down, seemingly oblivious to Eela’s presence, and then started getting dressed. First, dark gray slacks cut to hang straight and loose but with a rise at the front of the leg. A turquoise shirt with dark purple threading through it and a wide purple collar. Then a dark gray suit coat. And then, from somewhere, dark sunglasses. In an instant Karilan had positively transformed… both in look and in the energy they gave off.

He smiled. He nodded. And then he turned and looked at Eela. “What do you think?”

Karilan

She nodded slowly and grinned. “Wow. Very you. As much as the red suit. Do you see? it’s not what you wear, it’s how you wear it. When you wear clothing authentically, people notice it whether they are aware of it or not. And that my dear is what attracts people.”

“Now, this dinner with the Governor. It’s no different than any other dinner, except that you can choose on a whim who you walk in as. We all do, every day. And if it makes you feel more comfortable to decide now who that is, I’m happy to help, but I do think you have this, Karilan,” Eela said. “Trust yourself, that inner light.”

~Eela