“I’m Thaleia, darling. Your stylist. I’m in charge of all the looks for today.”
Liora blinked. “…Looks?”
“Oh yes,” Thaleia beamed.
Liora slowly turned her head, taking in the racks again. The gowns. The suits. The jewelry. The lighting. Then she looked back at the lamia.
“Looks,” she repeated faintly.
“Of course!” Thaleia nodded enthusiastically. “This is a documentation shoot for a basilisk marriage. The families will expect multiple styles.”
“Multiple—” Liora stopped herself.
Took a breath.
“Wait,” she said carefully. “I thought this was just…a few pictures.”
“Oh no, darling,” the lamia laughed lightly, as if Liora had made a charming joke. She gestured to the studio. “This is thecondensed version.”
Liora followed the gesture and blinked. There weren’t just a few sets. There were…a lot.
Little scenes had been arranged across the enormous studio: a marble arch draped in flowers, a dark velvet backdrop with gold runes glowing faintly across it, a moonlit garden illusion shimmering under soft lights. One corner had what looked like an ancient basilisk throne, while another had a modern cityscape projected across glass panels.
“Is that twenty?” she asked faintly.
“About that,” Thaleia said cheerfully. “But we’ll see if we get to all of them.”
She waved a hand dismissively. “You won’t have an outfit change for every set, of course. I mean, we’re not trying to make miracles here, are we?” The lamia looked at her expectantly.
Liora blinked, and then, despite herself, she giggled. The sound slipped out before she could stop it. For some reason, it felt like the correct response, like Thaleia had been waiting for it.
“Exactly,” Thaleia said, clearly pleased. “You understand.” Then she clapped her hands once. “But don’t worry about any of that yet. Let’s get you settled.”
She guided Liora through the maze of racks and lights to a private dressing area separated by a soft curtain. A comfortable chair waited in front of a long mirror framed by glowing runes that softened the light in the most flattering way possible.
“Sit,” Thaleia said gently.
The moment Liora lowered herself into the chair, a nymph glided over with a small tray of tools.
“Manicure first,” the nymph said sweetly.
Before Liora could protest, her hands had already been gently captured.
Thaleia leaned over slightly, inspecting. “Neutral beige for the nails, please.”
“Yes, of course,” the nymph said.
Liora stared down at her hands as the nails were expertly filed and shaped. “I didn’t know this was part of the process,” she admitted.
“Just relax,” Thaleia smiled at Liora’s reflection in the mirror. “We’ll get everything figured out.
“I’ll show you the different outfits.” She moved toward one of the racks and began sorting through garments with practiced ease. “We can try a few things, see what works.
“But I do want to keepyouin mind,” she continued. The lamia held up a flowing ivory dress, studying it critically before setting it aside. “Your style.”
“My style?” Liora’s eyebrows lifted higher.
Thaleia turned back toward her, eyes sharp in a way that suggested she had already figured everything out. “You lean a little edgier,” she said thoughtfully. “Structured lines. Strong silhouettes. Not overly feminine.”
