“Your hair looks different,” he said.
“Yes,” she huffed softly, forcing her voice back into something steadier. “They added a bunch of hair extensions.”
He tilted his head slightly, clearly taking in the longer, thicker waves that now fell over her shoulders.
She rolled her eyes. “I’ve been here for two hours,” she said under her breath. “Two hours with them working on me.”
She gestured vaguely toward the door where the stylists had disappeared. “And the weird part is, I couldn’t tell them no. Every time I tried, they were already doing the next thing.”
“I can picture that,” he chuckled.
“Oh, I’m glad this is amusing for you.”
“Well,” he said lightly, “it’s impressive.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You’re teasing me.”
“Maybe a little,” but then his tone shifted, softer. “And…thank you.”
She blinked. That part she hadn’t expected.
Before she could respond—Click.Another camera shutter went off somewhere across the room.
“This is ridiculous,” she muttered.
He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “It will calm down eventually.”
She opened her mouth to argue?—
But then the curtain at the dressing area suddenly slid aside, and a basilisk female glided inside. She carried herself with calm authority, her long dark hair braided intricately with small metal rings, and the smooth purple scales of her tail shimmered softly in the studio light. Her dark eyes assessed them both with quick efficiency.
“Ah,” she said. “Good. You’re both here.”
Maldenis straightened slightly. “Elder.”
The basilisk inclined her head. “I am Seraphelle,” she said. “I’m overseeing today’s proceedings.”
Liora had the immediate feeling thatoverseeingmeantcontrolling absolutely everything.
“Wonderful,” Seraphelle’s sharp gaze moved between them. “You’re ready.”
“For what?” Liora blinked.
“For the first shot, of course,” the elder gestured toward the studio behind them.
Liora fell into step beside Maldenis as they followed Seraphelle out into the massive studio. She glanced sideways at him. “You’re already camera-ready,” she said. “Meanwhile, they’ve beenbuildingme for too long.”
“Well,” he said mildly, “they had more raw material to work with in your case.”
“Rude,” she elbowed him in the ribs. He didn’t even pretend to look sorry.
Ahead of them, Seraphelle led them toward the nearest photo set. It looked like some kind of ancient ceremonial platform, with smooth black stone, tall columns behind it, and glowing runes etched faintly into the floor.
Standing beside a massive camera was a cyclops adjusting several floating lights. “Good, good,” he rumbled. “Stand here.”
He pointed to two marks on the floor. Maldenis moved into place easily, and Liora joined him, glancing around as the cyclops began shifting lights and muttering to himself about angles and reflections.
Seraphelle studied them critically. “Oh,” the elder said. “Can you take out your piercings?”
