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𝗡𝗔𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗜𝗔 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗡𝗘
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Nahilia’s pace slowed as the boutique came into full view, its frosted glass frontage glowing with warm lanternlight against the cobblestones of Voxthain. The clockwork mannequins in the window rotated with a smooth, mechanical grace, their copper-threaded gowns shifting with every turn. She had spoken with the proprietor just the day before, having heard of the new boutique opening in Voxthain from an acquaintance, and had asked what they were trading for their dresses and services. They had recently opened—although anyone could see how beautiful and well-made the clothing they created was—and needed more customers to grow the business’s notoriety. As a Thorne, someone who interacted with the upper class often when they visited the hospitals she managed, Nahilia could certainly promise to direct her patients in for routine check-ups their way once she and her daughter got their dresses.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀It was a trade rooted not in vanity or need for jewels and goods—all of which she had grown accustomed to dealing in—but in strategy and reputation. That was a currency in itself, and she respected it.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀The boutique door gave a hiss as it opened at their approach, warm air spilling out with the mingled scents of oil, fabric dye, and polished wood. Inside, the whir of gears and the hush of layered silks created a strange harmony, elegant and industrial at once. Nahilia’s eyes scanned the space, cataloguing details with the same diligence she brought to her clinics, before pausing her movement.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Drawing in a measured breath, Nahilia adjusted the fall of her coat, ensuring each line lay just so. Appearances mattered in Voxthain, even more when one carried a noble name, and especially when entering into a public partnership. Her onyx eyes, sharp and steady, softened only when she glanced down at Avaliyah. Her daughter’s presence steadied her in a way she would not admit aloud. With a quiet smile, rare though genuine, she gestured for her daughter to step ahead, allowing her to cross the threshold first as though the moment were meant more for Avaliyah’s delight than her own business arrangement.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Because it was, to her. They had their moments of strife and tension, but Nahilia treasured her daughter more than anything. She realized that they hadn’t done anything together in far too long for her liking, and with the noble gala having been announced and coming up, she had invited her daughter along to find dresses for them both. She couldn’t bring herself to express the depth of emotion she felt aloud at times, but it was there. In the quiet invitations to go somewhere, the rare smiles, the attempt at physical affection at times that was only ever awkward.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Steady, wordless. Unspoken and, more often than not, deeply unapparent to her daughter.
