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change is good

──● rafiki
THE LION KING

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Delaney thought she had known anxiety like a well and true friend up until this point.

Turns out she was wrong.

She couldn't so much as keep her hands still the moment she walked into the already bustling classroom. Models and designers flitting from place to place, admiring beautiful fabrics, and palates of colors. Delaney pulled at the edges of her violet sundress, the lace of the skirt fine under her fingertips. Perhaps it had been a mistake wearing this, seeing as she couldn't stop fiddling with the intricate holes that flowed just above her knee. Yume would have scolded her, saying how cold it was outside. Delaney didn't care much.

In fact, she didn't care at all, as she glanced around shortly, seeing her profesor at his desk. He was a broad man, handsome, young too. Seeing as half of the girls flirted with him during their off time, that much was clear. Hurriedly, keeping her head down, she darted right over to him. He looked up from his typing, adjusting his glasses seeing her rush over to him. "Professor Kibe, I'm so so sorry i'm late-"

He held up his hand, shaking his head slightly. "It's quite alright Delaney. I don't expect it to become a habit, you're usually so punctual." He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "to be entirely honest, I forgot to take attendance completely today, so you're off the hook." He spun to face her in his chair,  nodding his head in the direction of the back of the classroom. "Although, I do believe a young lady was waiting for your arrival. Quite patiently I might add. If she hadn't requested you personally, I would have emailed you to hurry and find someone. So, it's quite alright. Your family must be going through a difficult time as it is, no need to make it worse."

Delaney didn't really hear much after the confirmation of someone requesting to work with her directly. Seeing his nodding head, she turned, meeting an icy, apathetic gaze from across the room. Rune's eyes, particularly. The rest of her professors words after that moment went in one ear, and out the other.

Rune was surrounded by men, as usual, attempting to persuade her to model for them, but she had her stare leveled entirely on Delaney, and suddenly she wanted to shrink away from it. Wordlessly, she watched as Rune stood, dirty blonde hair curled effortlessly, bouncing as she walked through the bustling crowds with apparent ease, making a path straight for her.

Delaney felt like prey being hunted - or a deer caught in headlights.

Rune Stellan was a tall woman, standing at 5'10'', and that was without the heels she chose to wear nearly every single day. She was lithe and beautiful, and honestly the beauty standard as far as Delaney had ever seen.

The crowds seem to part for her, and it took everything she had not to shrink away as Rune came to a stop directly before her. She stopped, looking down at her for a moment, then tilted her head, just slightly.

"I can't work with you."

The words were out before Delaney even meant them to come out, and desperately, as if she could take them back, she slapped a hand over her mouth, staring wide-eyed at Rune. Rune was unphased, giving her a flat, almost blank look, but her eyes shadowed, analyzing the situation. Her voice, smooth, and deeper than she thought it might be, washed over her. "You can't work with me?"

Delaney had no words, staring at the goddess of a woman before her.

Her professor, Amir Kibe, fortunately saved the day. Clearing his throat. "Ah, Delaney, i'm afraid she's the only one unspoken for. It's a competitive field, and if you don't take Rune, then you won't be able to participate this month. Of course, you could still design something, but the point is learning how to custom design a particular outfit for a person." His voice trailed off, and Delaney watched as icy eyes trailed back to her.

"Did I do something to you?"

"No." The words came out too quickly, and Laney found herself pulling at her skirt again, desperate to do anything at all with her hands to fend off the anxiety she was now facing. Rune's eyes flicked down to it, and a small, slight frown graced her full mouth before eyes once again rised to Delaney's. "You, you didn't do anything wrong, I just, well, you, um-" The room felt a little too small all of the sudden, and Laney dragged a breath into her lungs, staving off the panic that was beginning to flood her senses. "I just, you're a straight girl, and I-" She watched as Rune stilled, and frantically, she realized that had come out all wrong. For God's sake, she'd just assumed someone's sexuality. It was one thing thinking it, it was a whole other thing saying it. Shame, and maybe fear began to overtake her senses.

And then Rune spoke. Softly, like she was a child. Delaney normally would have found this incredibly condescending, but right now the tone she was using with her was soothing and kind. "Delaney. I am anything but straight, but, if my..." she hesitated, "I suppose, lack of a label, makes you uncomfortable, then it's entirely fine for you to say no to being my designer." Rune's gaze flicked across the room, like she was carefully thinking out her words. "I realize that I do have a lot of well, white privilage when it comes to getting what I want, and that's a very real thing, and if you really do feel uncomfortable with working with me, I'm sure I could ask another designer to simply switch. I know you work with other ethnicities most often, and I truly didn't mean to insist-"

"No- I didn't mean, it doesn't have anything to do with you being white, Rune-" Her head was spinning now, with all the information that she'd gotten this morning. Rune wasn't straight, first of all. Magic existed. Her grandfather was dead. There was a lot happening, and suddenly it felt like she couldn't breathe at all. "It's not that." Delaney attempted to try again, to start over, when she felt a hand on her arm.

Her first instinct was to pull away, but she saw Venus there, taking her arm in hers. "Delaney? Are you alright?" Benjamin wasn't to far off, shirtless (uncessecarily so, because Venus had him measured front to back), but she supposed it was good to check. He was looking at her with a weary eye. 

Delaney managed a nod, feeling much more stable suddenly with someone beside her. "Yes- I'm sorry- yes, i'm fine Vee, you can go back to Ben."

Venus raised her eyebrow, looking up and down at Rune, then looking back to Delaney. "You sure?"

Hesitantly, she nodded. Venus obediently did as she was told, letting go and cautiously making her way back to her own model. Delaney pretended not to notice the subtle glances that she was continuously making towards Rune on her trek back. Rune however, hadn't so much as flinched, hands clasped in front of her. "What is the problem, then?"

Delaney bit the bullet, shaking her head. "No problem, never mind. I'd be happy to be your designer. Thank you for requesting me." She could do this, just go into a more professional mode was all - be a designer, not Delaney. A designer. With a client. And a paycheck, but we'll ignore that part.

Shaking her head, she breezed past her, eyes on the fabrics rather than anything else, obsessively picking at her skirt. Forcing away any left-over anxiety, she reached the stand, then turned to face Rune. "Alright." Take a breath, Laney. "Arms up."

----------

It had been a week since her project with Rune Stellan had begun, and Delaney had finally decided.

She was in deep shit. Deep, stupid, lovesick, shit. Of course, she'd never say that outloud to anyone other than probably Ben and Vee, but still. At the moment, she was slaving over her sketchbook, the lamp beside her illuminating her rapidly darkening room. Outside, the soft pastel skies had faded to a hazy blue, indicating that it had probably been past dinner, and Delaney had missed it. 

She'd discovered one critical issue when designing a dress for Rune. Everything looked good on her. Everything looked good on her because she was the beauty standard. She was it, or whatever you wanted to call it. That's not to say Rune didn't have her insecurities. During the process of becoming her designer, she'd found out that Rune was slightly consious of her ears. Now, she hadn't told Laney herself, but she was deductive enough to realize that at the mention of putting her hair back, Rune had been hesitant at best. It doesn't mean a ton, she knows that, but Rune was all for almost anything that Delaney wanted to do, insisting that it would be lovely no matter what.

The problem is, with Rune looking good in everything, Laney can't tell if it's her work that looks good, or if her work looks good because it's on one of the most beautiful women on earth - at least presently. Florence Pugh and Zendaya could probably give her a run for her money. Whatever. The point is, is that Delaney wants it to be her work that brings the model to life, not the other way around.

Groaning, she scribbled a line through her idea, sighing under her breath. Maybe, with Rune, simplicity would be best. She set down her pencil, pushing out her chair and gliding over the the sewing table in her room, complete with only the best equipment - mainly things her siblings had gotten for her for her upcoming birthday.

Some of them weren't too good at keeping secrets, so she got them early. Others were just fine, so she'd be reciving those on the twenty-second of this month. Her birthday - her twentieth to be exact. Yume was making a big deal out of it, said it was a momument of a birthday. At first Delaney had been hesitant, but Yume insisted, and now, with only a week and a half till the day, she found herself excited for the upcoming party her siblings were throwing for her. With her studies on the recent princess dresses, she requested a ball-type of thing, and she was absolutely ecstatic over it.

Her father had gotten each of them proper clothing for it. Delaney and Akiho would start doing altercations once they arrived. The excitement of such a thing flooded energy back into Delaney, and absently, she picked up the book her Grandfather had left her, now the inspiration behind many of the free sketches she did in her spare time, and pushed back to her drawing board.

Perhaps with Rune, simplicity would be best.

Black - black always looked nice on her, it contrasted greatly against her pale skin. It made her look like a vampire, that's what Delaney thought anyway.

Oh.

Oh, wait a moment.

That was it. The big idea she needed, that desperate piece of inspiration that she had been scrambling for this entire time. A Vampire. Halloween was coming up after all, much like her sister's birthday, and what would be better than a black ballgown. One fit for a nightmarish creature to prowl old castles in. A mistress of the night. A cryptid of the moon.

Delaney, rejuvinated with creativity threw open her drawer, fishing out black pencils of perfection. She flipped the page, giddy and drunk with ideas, and began to draw. The outline first, something simple. Then followed the dress. Layered, and old-fashioned, with a black lace corset and a sweetheart neckline. Perhaps she should give it a veil too, for that ambiance of a black widow.

The night grew on, but Delaney hardly noticed the passing time, completely invested in her now budding work on the page. Starlight flickered against the open pages of her Grandfather's book, and as she wrote on, a glint caught her eye. It was gone before she could look again, but her hypnosis of design was snapped out of, and she blinked, suddenly aware of how late it had become. 

There was a quiet knock on the door, and she blinked again, spinning in her chair to face it. "Come in?"

Who but Jady, slowly pushed the door in, peaking inside. Delaney smiled warmly, as usual, despite the drowsiness that now began to puncture her enthusiasm. "Oh, hey Jady, what are you doing up this late?" She cocked her head, glancing behind her in confirmation that it was indeed dark out. Stars hung in the sky, painting consellations. It was a beautiful backdrop against the moon, glittering with unseen forces.

"I brought you dinner." Her younger sister's soft voice pulled her back, and Delaney watched as she produced a plate from behind the door, pushing it open entirely. "Raine made chicken alfredo, I thought you might like some." She chewed her cheek. "Yume said you might be busy, and you'd probably come down to eat later, but it's been a while now."

Hot affection pooled into her abdoment, and Laney sighed, waving her sister over to her bed. Jady obliged, boucing on the violet comforter after setting the plate down on the desk. "Well, thank you, that was sweet of you."

"Mhm." She shifted, "So, how's your project going?"

"It's going - I think i've finally got it."

"And, hows, - well, how is Rune? Have you told her yet?"

Delaney side-glanced at her, gaze flicking over the figure of her most recent creation. Jady of course, was referring to her crush on Rune, which hadn't really disappeared at all. She was hoping it would have by now, satisfied and satiated by the friendship that was now slowly progressing, but it had only gotten worse. "No. I haven't, she's fine-"

"Are you going to invite her to the ball?"

No. That was her instinctual response. Although she hesitated in actually saying it at all. The thought of her coming was actually rather heart-warming, even as a friend. Rune could maybe even wear her dress, if the main part was done by then that is. She had a week and a half, and this was the main focus of her studies and all, so maybe it was possible. Besides, Rune was - well, she'd be a grounding presence there for sure. "Maybe." Was the response she gave instead.

Jady pushed off the bed, nodding, seemingly content with that answer for now. Her baby sister paused at the door, hesitating before she closed it. "I think you should. We could always kick her out if you change your mind."

Delaney shook her head, burying a tired laugh, "Go to bed Jady, it's well past the time you should be asleep. You have school tommorow."

"Don't remind me." A dramatic sigh was followed with an echoing goodnight, and then the door was shut.

Delaney sat there for a moment, thinking. Staring at her drawing before relenting to her now impulsive thoughts. No doubt was an affect of Jady getting the idea into her head, and pressed Rune's contact name. The phone rang a couple times, and suddenly she realized that Rune might be asleep at this ungodly hour - like any normal person - oh god, what should she do, hang up?? No, it was too late for that. Maybe she could-

"Hello?"

Rune picked up, and Laney didn't do anything at all for a moment but stare at the phone. There was a beat of silence, and her lilting voice smoothed over again.

"Delaney? Are you alright?"

The words seemed to be enough to kick her into action, and she nodded, despite the fact that Rune couldn't see her at all. "Yes - I - I'm fine, i'm sorry-"

"Don't apologize. What is it?"

"Well...I was wondering." Go ahead, Laney. You can do it. "Are you busy on the twenty-second of this month, cause I'm having this party . . . "

And they talked, far later into the night, and some into the early morning, than either of them had meant too. 

✦

✦ OPHELIA ✦

- i'm just bored, so
my apologies if it's
bad <3

- i'm gonna have a couple
days of utter lonliness
ahead of me, so lets
see how many chapters
i write to get through it

- forgive meeeee

is your character good or
bad with secrets + surprises ?

──● answers