The Intent of the Moon Goddess (#1)

Chapter 5- Daphne

I’ve had a really busy day in the shop today and my feet are red raw. I need a long rest with a foot spa and a cocktail.

What I’m actually going to get is another half hour in work and then Anna and Katy are coming to try on their dresses for the Half-Moon mixer on Saturday. So, it’s going to be a late night tonight. 

The good thing is Anna always brings food for me when I stay late like this, she’s such a good girl, and I’m so fortunate that she looks after me as much as I look after her. I look over at Anna’s dress. It is a red skater style dress that I made myself, I think it will suit her perfectly. 

Katy’s is a silver and black dress that was Anna’s, but we are altering it and adjusting it, so it won’t look like the same dress when we are finished, we often do this because no girl wants to be seen twice in the same dress, and Katy’s parents are on a budget now since the twins came along. 

We do a trade, Katy’s mother, Judith, and me. I make Katy’s dress out of old dresses, sometimes Anna’s, sometimes mine or her mothers, and Katy’s mum Judith helps Anna with hair and make-up. 

Occasionally Judith will bring me things back from her original primary pack, the Scarlet Moon when she goes there to visit her family, and it’s nice to get different materials and accessories that are not available to us here in the Crescent Moon. Sometimes we’ll trade, she’ll buy me some lovely material and I will gift her a dress or material for a dress for Katy. 

Over the years it’s been a big help to me, and I like to think that it’s mutual for Judith too. I like Judith, she is one of the mated females who came to see me after I was rejected and took a turn of looking after me while I recovered from the injuries my fated mate inflicted on me. I like the fact that Judith is straight up, you know where you stand with her, and Katy gets that from her.

I turn the kettle on ready for when they get here, Judith is likely to be fried from running after the twins all day, so coffee and cake is always a good idea. 

I start to cash up and clear away before they get here. It’s been a busy day today, not that a fashion boutique in the chaste and devout ‘Crescent Moon’ is a busy hub of activity everyday but the fact there was an event usually encouraged the mothers of the unmated females to come calling even if it’s just for ribbon or accessories, and today is no different. 

I’m so glad I finished Anna’s and Katy’s dresses yesterday because I haven’t had a chance to so much as drink my morning coffee, and that was seven hours ago!

They arrive 10 minutes early, Katy is excited and she’s like a whirlwind. I give Anna a quick kiss and ask her how her day was, and she shrugs in response. I know she finds it hard.

Anna hands over a food tub and in it is a ham salad sandwich, a tomato pasta pot, fruit and yogurt and a little cupcake. I tell her she’s the best and she shrugs again.

 “It’s just a sandwich Daff.” She does make me smile, so self-deprecating as always. Judith insists on me eating and us all having a drink before they try the dresses on, and I must give the girls credit for their patience.

I send the girls into the changing rooms where their dresses are hanging up, I hear Katy’s squeals of delight and Anna laughing at Katy, Judith and I smile at each other knowing we would have been the same at their age. We hear the sounds of zippers and Velcro and of clothes being removed and put on before one of the doors to the rooms open.

Katy is first out, she has the black and silver dress on, and black shoes that are like platforms adding around 4 inches to her height she spins around, her dress glinting in the light.

“I love it Daphne, you are a genius, it doesn’t look anything like Anna’s dress, it’s amazing thank you!”

Anna steps out of the cubicle, and we all take a deep breath. She suits red, the scalloped neckline shows a hint of her chest but is still decent and modest, the skirt comes to her knee, and she has a black shoe on one foot and a red shoe on the other.

“It’s lovely Daff, honestly it is, but I look like a square block.”  

She is pointing to her waistline, she’s always been self-conscious about her waist, she unfortunately inherited the apple shape from me and my sister, and our mother before us, but she has no idea of how beautiful she truly looks.

“It looks lovely Anna, you look lovely.” 

I hear Katy telling her and it’s true she looks so classy and elegant, but I know Anna and if she doesn’t feel comfortable, she won’t enjoy herself. So, I pick up the black belt I’ve been keeping aside just in case. 

“I thought you might take issue because the waistline is naturally higher in this style of dress Anna, so this is our compromise”. 

I show her the belt and she frowned slightly but takes it off me and puts it on, she has an instant waist and I see her smile in the mirror.

“Perfect! Thank you, Daff, I love it now. I think I’ll go with the black shoes.” She hugs me in thanks, and we go in search of the other black shoe.