A Court of Love and Family

Chapter 1

Luna laid on her stomach, her wings out and resting over the edges of the bed. She was facing her friends who were sitting on the sofa in her room, flipping through the drawings Kira had brought with her. Some just sketches, some full-out designs, with fabric samples added to the paper, and notes about the dresses.

"These are amazing..." Luna let out a breath as she said it.

"I know..." Kira said smiling. "Look at the next one!" Luna did just that and stopped on a drawing depicting her. The dress that was drawn on her as a model, and showed off an interesting design that was showing off some of her markings, like the one on her shoulder, waist, and thigh. She flipped to the next page, showing the same dress from behind, and the low back showed the mark she had on her back.

"You used me as a model?" She asked, fully aware that Kira had no interests in males, and even had a crush on her in their teens.

"Yes, I thought you wanted one that showed who you are at the Ball." Kira explained. Luna studied the sketches. The dress was to be made of draped silk, in a deep purple, almost black.

"I..." Luna started but stopped as Evalyn got up in a hurry and moved to the bathroom.

Evalyn? Luna got up, removing her wings, reaching over to find her friend's mind. It was open to her to enter.

Just the normal... Evalyn said back. I... I will be back in a moment...

"How is she?" Kira whispered when Luna looked back at her friend.

"Not fine..." Luna shook her head. "Life is not fair."

"Nothing is." Kira said back. "What do you think of the dress?"

"Kira... It is truly amazing but..."

"You are not sure you want something like that?"

"I will be stared at as it is, maybe I don't need to show off all of myself..." She continued to look at the different sketches and her eyes caught on one that was more like her. This one did not have her as a model, but the style. Luna let out a low whistle. "This one... What is the plan with it?"

"That?" Kira took the paper. "Oh! It is the Void one." Luna raised a brow, nodding, hoping that her friend would explain it further. "You know the tapestry your mother has in her studio? The black one? I have been so fascinated with the threads and that small iridescent one, I asked her who made it and I designed this." The dress had a high neckline, but no arms, hugging the curves of the model to end just below the knee. That part was black, like the Void. But over the arms of the model thick pencil lines marked a cape-like form.

"Wow..." Luna said, moving her finger over the sketch.

"I am planning to make an organza from the Hope threads, adding that like an arm cape design, like the one I had last summer solstice." Kira explained. "Sadly... It will not be finished for the Ball..."

"I see... I like the design. Maybe we can look for other fabrics. And it will show off my shoulders and arms in a good way."

"That neckline will truly show off the reward of all that training." Kira added, giving Luna a slap on her muscular arm.

"Hey! There is nothing wrong with that!"

"I never said there was!"

Behind them, the bathroom door opened and Evalyn came out. Her dark skin was a shade paler than before. Her hand played with the green charm that hid her scent from others.

"How are you feeling?" Luna asked, taking a step towards her friend.

"It is not a good day..." Evalyn said in return and sat down on Luna's bed. Fingers still moving over the charm.