She pocketed the twin rings. A decision which made Lola raise a curious eyebrow. “Oujosama asked for our costumes to match.” Jun bobbed her head in a polite curtsy meant to dismiss the clerk after answering her. Once her lady was satisfied with herself and her servant’s appearance she’d wear the enchanted ring to protect from any further transformation. At the hands of Kelan? Was that what she was worried about?
Niggling uncertainty continued to plague Jun as she turned away to put together the rest of the makeup kit alone. Hoping everything would be easier to sort out once out of the costume and back to her normal self. To Jennifer. Whomever ‘Jennifer’ was.
Eventually satisfied with her selection, there were still a number of accessories before her lady’s costume would be complete. The doll’s chosen colors ran the spectrum between glittering electric blues to flat royal purples; a contrast of bright and dark shades and gradients to define and sculpt Nadia-sama’s features. They were joined by long press-on nails, stiletto heels, plastic fangs, and a wig. To break the blackness of the straight and shoulder-length hair, Jun also added a kanzashi with floral and butterfly motifs. A oddly fitting combination of white for the flower and blue for the butterfly, matching her lady’s dress and the painting on her porcelain neck. But the doll couldn’t resist taking the delicate hair pin anyway.
The doll’s brief spell of tranquility as she focused on her task ended when she approached the dressing room occupied by Nadia. Jun caught her admonition for the clerk chatting away and bothering her lady after seeing the three heads of the boys, including Kelan, peeking up through the store’s shelves. Afraid even her soft voice would carry and summon him to her, Jun froze into complete stillness and waited for them to disappear again. She should hurry.
“Found what you were looking frrrrr?” Lola directing her purr towards Jun made the feminine shadow visible through the blinds stirr and frantically mess with her hair and dress. Seeing oujosama so distraught and bashful by her precious servant drew a faint and giggling laugh out of the doll.
Nadia seemed taller and more imposing clad in the baroque folds, perhaps it was due to Jun losing several inches. Her flash of disappointment when she didn’t immediately recognize the porcelain doll stung the servant. Like a serrated dagger shoved into her non-existent heart. But Jun patiently waited, hoping her lady would sort through her conflicting memories. This would be easier if she figured out at least part of this herself. “...Jun? You– you’re not human? Wait, why did I think you were?”
Crossing her feet and pinching the hem of her skirt, Jun bowed deeply with her gaze respectfully cast downwards. An anxious and trembling ‘What am I suppose to do?’ coming from Nadia brought the servant out of silence after she took the question as an implicit permission to speak. “You wanted to pair your costume with a doll servant so I trans-, ettoo, umm... changed.”
Lola looked like she had an entire bird stuffed in her mouth while trying to keep her feline smirk away. Then she couldn’t stand it any longer and clapped her hands together to break the tension with her saleswomanly cheer. “Our magical costumes is the storrr speciality. They can help you play and adjust to any role. Suppose a practical demonstration is in order. Jennifer, my favorite customer, the honor is yourrrrs.”
The doll didn’t feel particularly honored, though obliged. “Your grey eyes are pretty, Nadia-sama.” No rush of heat came to her cheeks, but she felt the burning shame mixed with excitement at praising her lady all the same. “Umm, look into the mirror,” Jun belatedly added in her struggling English, “con-conce… helps to focus.”
“She called you Jennifer,” Nadia eventually began after raking through the fog in her mind and staring dumbstruck at her no longer orange irises for several seconds, “then that must be your rea–” Jun stepped up and pressed a mechanical finger against her lady’s lips to silence her before she finished the sentence. She didn’t feel ready to abandon her persona yet, not while not knowing the kind of relationship ‘Jennifer’ and Nadia had. If they were just friends. The doll tried to communicate her unwillingness through her strained expression. “Oh, guess I shouldn’t say that.”
“Doumo arigatou gozaimasu, ojousama. Umm, if you... still want... to go with me.” Her voice trailed into a nervous whisper with the crisis averted. Inside Jun’s hollow interior the fluttering butterflies had multiples exponentially and she slowly removed her segmented porcelain digit. “Maybe... a date.”
Nadia mustn’t have heard the last thing as she brushed past Jun and Lola and reached for the accessories that the doll had brought. “Pair our costumes. Hahaaaaha-aah, sure, that’s still the plan. If we can change back. We can, right?”
“Hai.”