Raiment Consultation

[Terri Nutkins]

The moment Ava settled herself into the living room, Terri emerged from the kitchen wearing perhaps the most appropriately cute apron anyone had ever designed over a spring-like yellow dress, along with a pair of bright yellow rubber gloves on her hands. Her feet were bare and she’d tied her hairback into a tight bun to keep it from her eyes, and even though the Legate beamed at the sight her Sovereign, her face was flushed like she had been exerting herself.

“Ava, you’re not going to believe this but there were a load of suspicious looking drops of blood beneath the sink. Just letting you know that there’s no way I’m dealing with severed limbs and spurting arteries around here.” Terri finally took a deep breath and grinned, obviously joking, as she pulled off the gloves. Turning back to face the kitchen, the thick burn that ran down the right hand side of her back partially on display as she asked, “Do you fancy a coffee? I’ve just finished giving the kitchen a spring clean, if you couldn’t guess.” Speaking as walked, her voice light and breezy, Terri quickly added, ”I think we’ve got some soda if you prefer?”

[Terri Nutkins]

“Thanks but it's all good, I think,” Terri replied with a smile as she poured some freshly made coffee into one of the mugs she had recently dried and hung onto the tree next to the draining board. Handing it to Ava, the Beast placed a small bowl of sugar and jug of milk onto the table within reach, just in case. Terri felt slightly guilty that she didn't actually know if the Autumn Queen had either, so this definitely was a lesson learned.

“Although, I have no idea where Mrs Jasons kept her paperwork, or even if this place is even registered. I might need some help with that when it comes to paying taxes.” A nervous almost weary laugh, one of those old jokes that Terri seemed to rely upon every now and again. The mundane and the Wyrd blurring so close the lunacy was a joke.

“How are you doing now that you've had time to digest the results of our meeting?” she finally asked, leaning against the worktop, a can of Diet Coke suddenly appearing in her hand. A well-manicured finger cracked open the top, the some bubbles escaping in the process, which Terri caught with the hem of her apron.

[Terri Nutkins]

The redheaded Beast joined in with Ava’s snicker as she done her impression of what it would have been like to approach Betony Rue as a taxman. That would have been hilariously scary to watch.

She continued to listen as Ava answered Terri’s question, sipping at her drink and nodding in agreement but refrained from adding anything. No matter how much she may have wanted to, Ava seemed to be a pretty capable woman and would ask if there were any issues. At the change of topic, well, change of focus from the Nix to the Steepscrambler, Terri paused to think about how best to answer, eyes focusing on the untouched sugar bowl.

“I think,” Terri finally began after a moment’s consideration, “that the coming and going that seems to plague me and Rick doesn’t really help. I tend to miss people and what’s going on in the Freehold. Part of who I am is to make sure everyone around me, especially my close friends, are content and supported. When I heard about Spring’s idea to help others with their Desires, the first thing that sprang to mind was how much I really wanted to be Queen again; I wanted that respect again.”

Terri took a sip of her drink, eyes refocusing onto Ava as she was ready to continue. “I had no idea that Coco would get that involved, who could blame her really? And even though I agreed with her, not long after, I was sent a message by my Order, the Bishopric of Blackbirds, who ordered me to a gathering; a synod. It was...an education. My ego had gotten the better of me and they were worried about my state of mind, especially ever since what happened following the Four Seasons and last Summer when my fetch died, but that’s another story altogether. I now it may sound like a stupid excuse but I’ve definitely come to realise that being a leader isn’t for me. I’m the one who leader’s should be able to turn to for support, for guidance. I can’t really do that if I’m not trusted, right?”

[Terri Nutkins]

That last comment definitely made Terri snicker in agreement, offering a nod to the Dread Queen. The former observation Terri knew, which was why she was so determined to make Edna’s work, and why she had sacrificed Treetop Fashions in the process.

Finishing her drink and putting the can in a small box marked ‘Recyclable’, Terri took a seat at the table, crossing her legs and folding her arms; not in defence but just out of comfort. These days, she was trying to be as open as she could and had learned a little thing about body language. Before her arms had even relaxed, they were unfolded and she rested her elbows on the table, hands flat on its surface.

“So, in my personal little quest of being supportive, is there anything I can help you with today?”

[Terri Nutkins]

The ever-present smile turned into a smirk at Ava’s self-deprecating joke, and Terri didn't comment. There were some women (and men) out in the big bad world who simply didn't get what fashion was about, happy to either ignore the strengths a fine set of clothes can bring, or there were those short-sighted individuals who simply mocked those who had a burning passion for the art. She had little time for the latter. However, anyone who was willing to take the plunge, to take up the challenge of daring to be different and to understand the simplicity of a damn fine wardrobe, even if it contained one or two fantastic outfits, Terri was always ready and eager to give her support.

“Oh, I understand completely,” the petite Beast nodded, the smile returning. “True story; once upon a time I had little time in dressing ‘fancy’,” her fingers making air-quotes with the word. “I was a personal trainer and pretty much lived my life in sweatpants and a training top. Fashion was something that was for other people. Oh, don't get me wrong, I brought the fashion magazines and dreamed of being able to pull off whatever was the seasonal trends but what was the point? Work came first. Basically, I'd become trapped in the comfort, constrained by the clothes that I had forced upon myself like a straight-jacket. Even after Arcadia, I slipped back into the yoga pants as I tried to find normality again. But I wasn't normal, none of us are. I yearned to be different, to try something new, and I can remember exactly when it happened.”

As she spoke, Terri had stood from her chair to one of the drawers that held stationary supplies, another little bit of organisation that she could appreciate. Finding a red note pad and pen, she closed the drawer and returned to her seat.

“It was a few months after returning back to Sacramento, I was in my treehouse hollow trying desperately to connect more with the Harvest when I had a dream, a vision I suppose. I was at a ball, not unlike one of the masked balls held by Winter during their ascendency. Yet I was wearing the most exquisite corset dress I'd ever seen and wearing makeup that I'd never possessed. It was so surprising that it shocked me. I could feel my hips! I didn't know I even had hips,” she added with a snort. “When I came back to reality, I was filled with more confidence than before and this idea that clothes aren't a straight jacket but an armour that both protects and gives us strength and will to see ourselves as something more. To dare is to succeed. But enough about me and my ego,” she grinned, flipping open the notebook. “Tell me, Ava, what is it you want to dare to be?”