Her Safe Haven

Eight.

It took nine hours and thirty-four minutes to finalize everything, but [Name] had succeeded; everything was ready for the event. That left her only an hour and a half to get ready, which she didn't realize she'd have to do. The chefs aren't normally invited to the events, so it was only natural for her to assume she wouldn't have to attend on the front end. Well, that, plus the minor fact that she's there against her will. Aren't they concerned she might make a scene?

Jora was waiting for her, already dressed in a large ball gown which dazzled shades of blue, green, yellow and pink. Her hair was drawn up into a large bun, and large mis-matched earrings hung from her ears. She looked... Well, like Jora. It could have been the stress, or the fact that she had spent all day running on only a few hours of sleep, but [Name] couldn't help but feel a ball of tightness swell in her chest as she was led up the penthouse. She ignored Jora's rant about her art, only briefly listening to Jora informing her of the outfit that had been chosen for her. By Doflamingo nonetheless.

Does that mean he'll be upstairs? Her chest tightened for another reason. All day she'd successfully avoided the man, and she didn't want to run into him now. But when she opened the door, she was relieved, because instead of an impossibly tall blonde male, there were two average-sized women with curly red hair. They both smiled a tight smile, one which [Name] mirrored. "Hello, we were hired to help with your hair and make-up," the one in the white dress spoke. The other was wearing a green romper, and if it weren't for the different clothing [Name] wouldn't have been able to differentiate the two. "Please sit down here," as in, in the middle of Doflamingo's room. She hesitated, which the two women pretended not to notice, before eventually obeying. [Name] wasn't sure how long the entire process had taken, but no one in the room spoke. It had been so quiet that when the one in white said "what do you think?" [Name] jumped. Her large [e/c] eyes were reflected in a handheld mirror seconds later.

"Oh my gosh!" Her thick eyelashes fluttered as she examined the beautiful work that had been done; her eyeliner was sharp, her lips ruby red, and her complexion looked flawless. And her hair. It was swept into a beautiful up-do, with a little pink flower tucked above her ear. "This is amazing, you guys are so good!" Red dusted the green girl's cheeks, while the other smiled politely.

"We'll be leaving now, he should be back any minute."

"We were told to inform you that your outfit is in the other room there."

[Name], too absorbed with the gorgeous makeover, didn't register the word until the twins were nearly out the door. "Wait! He?" That could only mean one person. One of the girls said something behind the now-sealed door, and a deep voice replied. She'd only been at the palace for a couple days, but [Name] could already distinguish that deep voice from anyone else's. Without thinking she darted into her own room, quickly sealing the door behind herself.

The main bedroom door opened only seconds after. Her heart hammered.

Fufufufu~

"Almost done, my pet?"

She jumped away from the door a hand reflexively raised as she stared towards the door separating them. The newspaper article flashed in her mind, while her eyes stared at the door handle, half expecting to see it turn and open. But it didn't. So she sat on the bed, letting out a breath of relief pass. "Almost."

He didn't respond, and her stomach started to settle. Good. After she was certain he wouldn't barge in, she turned to the dress that was laid out beside her, heels on the ground to match. She slowly started to change, again impressed that it fit. Perfectly. The heels technically fit, but she could already tell that within an hour she'd be dying to take them off, the edges unforgivably stiff. She folded the smooth material down, readying herself.