Exile || Gale Hawthorne

Chapter 6: Stitch a Lie

To everyone's knowledge, that was seen as controversial. Hestia Armistice was someone without a known family name, borrowing her godfather's name to take the Capitol by storm overnight as the next big thing. Leta was proud to have been friends with Hestia before her sudden rise to prominence but times like this, Hestia wished she could make more time for her.

"I swear I'll make it up to you Leta." And she meant it. Even though she didn't think much of her current friends. Leta was one of the few she cared about. She was sweet and attentive and knew when to keep her mouth shut on certain matters. She even helped Hestia get used to the Academy.

"I don't know Hestia, it's gonna be pretty hard this time." Hestia's face paled but Leta started to laugh. "I'm kidding." Hestia lightly punched her friend and took the package from her hand, unboxing it to reveal a few colorful pastries. "You know what you could do?"

"Make yours, Maia and Juno's prom gowns?" Hestia offered with a soft smile. She reached for a small colored pastry and thought that her brother would like some of the pastries. "I've already got the sketches down. I just need the color palette."

Hestia shoved the small pastry into her mouth and got up to show Leta to the design board she had put up on the other side of the studio. Leta followed her, being careful not to bump any mannequins or machines or step on any loose fabric or leather laying around. Her pale gold heeled shoes clicked softly against the lacquered patterned ash floors of the studio before she came to a stop at Hestia's desk.

An elevated white metal desk with a lamp and sketchbook on top. That was Hestia's desk. It was much more organized than her godfather's desk at his personal office or her brother's desk at his studio or lab as he liked to call it.

Above her desk was a wide and tall black cork board with swatches of fabric pinned onto it along with sketches, some colored and some uncolored. There were some scribbled notes on each of the sketches and Leta was in awe of each sketch.

"Hey, isn't that from last year's winter collection your godfather put out?" Leta pointed to a sketch of a short dress with fur lined skirt and icy-sequin bodice and skirt.

Hestia craned her neck to see where her friend pointed and nodded when she did find it. "I designed a few pieces and some of the shoes. I made the first five copies of the snow ice dress." She looked back fondly at the memory, it was the first time Cygnus had trusted her with such a difficult task and she was proud to be able to do it well.

"Oh my! It seems my best friend is a professional fashion designer already. I feel so privileged to be graced by her presence." Leta joked and Hestia flicked her forehead. "Aw. That hurt."

"Well maybe, don't be so annoying."

"I was being nice!"

"You were being annoying." Hestia giggled before she pointed to a small corner of the large cork board. "Here. These are a few of the designs I have for you, Maia and Juno. I even made some extra from Larissa."

Leta chuckled. "You mean Narcissa."

"Right." Hestia clicked her fingers awkwardly. Somehow, the Academy gossip's name always slipped right out of her mind even though Hestia sometimes spent more time with her than any of her other friends. "Her. I keep getting her name wrong."

"Just don't let her hear you say that or she'll be mad." Narcissa was a prideful and sensitive girl even though she was the Academy gossip and had no trouble talking about everyone else. She'd cry at the slightest ill mention of herself.

"I have yet to make a mistake."

Leta nodded. "Famous last words." She mused and leaned forward to get a good look at the sketches. She could easily tell which ones Hestia designed for her with the notes scribbled on the side. Even though Hestia hadn't picked the color palette, she already knew what type of fabric that she wanted to use for each dress and what the fabric would look like. "Watercolors?"