[ That he's expecting it β or something like it, her intention telegraphed from the moment he'd seen what she was wearing β makes it no less of a thrill. She'd commended him before for being discreet, but this is deliberate. Not a test, not exactly. A way of taking the temperature between them, more like, and he suspects she's eager to get burned.
So: ] May I?
[ He steps forward, shifting the hanger he holds to his elbow as his hands brush over the swell of her hips, helping set the fabric of her dress straight again. Unfolding a wrinkle in the hem, smoothing it out so it sits evenly against her thighs. He's good at this β the details, making sure things look the way they ought. He'd learned, early on, how to compensate for a lack of brute strength in a world that prized it, fashioning himself after the very same people he longed to carve away like so much rotted flesh. ]
You'll need a garter, [ he decides, as he steps back to admire her. And it is admiration, this time, a step removed from the modesty he'd exercised before. ]
But firstβ
[ First, the bustier. A little more difficult to put on without getting fully undressed, a half-challenge issued as they continue to move game pieces across the board. ]
no subject
So: ] May I?
[ He steps forward, shifting the hanger he holds to his elbow as his hands brush over the swell of her hips, helping set the fabric of her dress straight again. Unfolding a wrinkle in the hem, smoothing it out so it sits evenly against her thighs. He's good at this β the details, making sure things look the way they ought. He'd learned, early on, how to compensate for a lack of brute strength in a world that prized it, fashioning himself after the very same people he longed to carve away like so much rotted flesh. ]
You'll need a garter, [ he decides, as he steps back to admire her. And it is admiration, this time, a step removed from the modesty he'd exercised before. ]
But firstβ
[ First, the bustier. A little more difficult to put on without getting fully undressed, a half-challenge issued as they continue to move game pieces across the board. ]