Filetages Fatidique et Fleurs de Soie

by Indulgence

Finitions

Coco’s saddlebags felt heavy in spite of the slight weight of their contents, their straps gripping tightly around her barrel as she walked. Multiple pressing matters beset her all at once, creating a noisy crowd of voices. Foremost amongst these should have been the simple fact that she had never before been where she was going, meaning that she was working out her path from remembered directions as she went.

‘So I turn right at… then straight on until…’

Surprisingly this would be the first time she had been to Fleur’s place, the pair having met frequently over the past weeks but always at her own apartment or elsewhere, thus her present task required a good deal of mental mapping.

‘… then left down…’

What if she doesn’t like it?

Coco’s eyes panned up to the street’s signposts, knowing full well that trying to silence her inner voice with any reassurance, no matter how well reasoned, was futile and therefore she chose to try and ignore it.

With all the extra stitching it’ll be too dark, whilst at the same time making it look like you’re trying to show off.

She pressed on regardless, moving further up town towards central Manehattan, the spires of surrounding buildings growing ever higher all around.

It’s not enough. Look around, how could anything you can do ever be enough?

Streetlights brought the traffic to a standstill, allowing her to cross through the parted sea of wagons. It would have been far simpler to take a taxi, but the lure of the morning’s sun had proved too much to pass up. She had woken up far too early, subconscious apprehension killing off her sleep before its conclusion, drawing her to the prospects of a thought-clearing walk.

What if it was a gift or meant something and you’ve wrecked it?

This desired end had obviously failed to materialise however, leaving her as tense as ever, doubts undeterred by her efforts against them. Finally she arrived, stopping before a great obelisk of glass and stone, each of its skyward-reaching floors ringed by airy balconies, feeling every bit as small in its shadow as she was.

---

Buck, buck, buck, buck, buck!

Shoals of loose clothing swam through the air, lifting off from the reefs of furniture on which they had long resided, the silken eels of scarfs chasing the flapping ray-like forms of jackets, in turn pursuing the whales of extravagant dresses. All the pieces hurried towards the recesses of cupboards and draws throughout the bedroom, forcing themselves into every crack of space that could be found, meanwhile the kitchen was a similar anarchy of levitating items. Plates and utensils in desperation threw themselves into sinks brimming with soapy water, before leaping into the folds of dishcloths to be marshalled further away. At the centre of all this stood Fleur, a waterfall of pink sparks spilling from the glowing tip of her horn, wincing as she focused all her power into her herculean task.

Hurry the buck up! How could you over sleep today of all days?

A towel glided through the bathroom’s doorway in a pink aura, coming to wrap itself around her in an attempt to dry her still damp form, fresh out from a rushed shower. A second towel joined the first, enveloping her mane and holding it high on her head, whilst her eyes glanced at the clock. ‘It’s okay, she’s running late, so I’ll still have time to put myself together’ she thought, trying to sound reassuring.

What’re you going to say to her?

‘Good question’ Fleur reflected in reply, dashing the query to one side.

You’ve got to say something today. There’s only one day left until the show, during that everything will be way too busy and there’s no guarantee of anything afterwards. So what’re you going to say?

‘I don’t know!’ She went blind as the towel fell across her vision. Weeks of meeting and organising, chatting and laughing about everything under the sun, yet she had never found a way to verbalise what was on her mind and now she stood on the precipice of her last chance to do so. ‘Celestia, I sound like some filly with a crush!’

‘I reckon she likes you too ya know.’

Sky’s words rang in her head. ‘You could’ve been a bit more definitive you ass!’ Was "like" enough? Was "like"a true reciprocation of what she herself felt? What was "like" even supposed to mean? At the same time saying anything was a risk, both to what was already a fast friendship and the event on the immediate horizon. ‘Buck it!’

*Bing bong*

‘Double buck it!’

---

Coco rocked back and forth a couple of time on her hooves before the front doorway, taking in a large preparatory breath as she reached up to press the button recessed at its side.

*Bing bong*

Air escaped her lungs in a long drawn out exhale; tension which had built up in the few minutes spent priming herself in front of the portal leaving her with her breath. From within there was a brief pause, followed by the clatter of approaching hoofsteps and then the door swung inwards, allowing light to stream out to meet her.

‘Hey!’ Set in a corona of sunlight, leaving her pure white coat shining and aglow, stood Fleur wearing a broad welcoming smile.

‘Hi.’ Caught as she was somewhere between her jaw dropping towards the floor and making a small eep noise and retreating, both reactions the unicorn had proven more than exceptionally good at inspiring in her, Coco was mildly impressed with the monosyllabic greeting she managed in return.

‘It’s lovely to see you’ Fleur continued, ‘come on in.’ She turned bidding her guest to follow her and letting her horn pull the door closed again as Coco did so.

They entered into the vast open space of the apartment proper, all clean lines and simple geometric furniture, with one wall of glass panes attaching the single room to the sky beyond its balcony. In contrast to Coco’s own small dwelling this was a veritable paradise, channelling the feeling of a Cloudsdale sky palace.

‘Drink?’ Fleur queried as they stopped in the midst of a central hub of sofas.

‘No thanks’ the earth mare declined, feeling as if she were on the tips of her hooves, like she was intruding into this divine unicorn’s realm.

‘Sure? Well please just say if you do.’ Fleur’s features remained warmly smiling, a slight glint reflected from the purple depths of her irises captivating her audience. ‘So…’

‘Oh right, sorry’ Coco quickly apologised, hoping not to have left an awkward silence in staring.

Smooth as ever!

She undid her bags, slipping them to the floor and then pushing them over to Fleur’s hooves. ‘Here’s what I came up with’ Coco said in explanation, attempting her own smile but being hindered by a fresh spike of apprehension.

---

A large part of Fleur felt like she had reverted back to being a little filly opening a Hearth’s Warming Day present, internally hopping joyously about as she opened the bags tentatively offered to her. She had seen most of the creations for the fast upcoming show, with a fair bit of jealousy in some cases, but not what she herself was going to be wearing, leaving her guessing as to which of the designs they had together chosen would be her charge.

Sweet Celestia!

What emerged in her magic’s featherlike grasp was nothing like she had expected. It was a dress, the slight elongated train cascading impossibly from the bag to succeed the rest of it making this fact clear, and it was something new, not being of any of the paper sketches she had spent a good day or two enjoying. Its overall form was something between an evening gown, its length falling to sweep the floor, and a lighter day piece, its body having both short sleeves and a high collar. Made from white taffeta, although simple, its most complicated structural element being its triple layering of hind skirts, it was at the same time amazingly intricate. Starting at the shoulder of the left sleeve to run in a spiral of satin stitch across the back, around the barrel and then splitting into three as it spread over half the hind section was a flow of black embroidery, matching the dress's fine lines in its movements. These silken details, denoting an age of work on the part of their creator, depicted a naturalistic yet not messy tangle of rose vines, sparingly punctuated every so often with the blooms of the flowers themselves. From a distance these intricacies would not be evident, instead morphing into striking dichotomously toned colour blocks swirling about the garment, a masterfully complex effect.

‘So, what do you think?’ Coco asked, breaking Fleur from her gazing.

‘It’s wonderful’ she replied, a tad in awe and still surprised by the until then unknown outfit’s arrival.

‘Do you want to try it on?’ the now beaming earth mare continued, ‘I’m probably going to need to make a couple of alterations so it hangs just right.’

She nodded and they moved across the invisible threshold into the bedroom where by foresight she had already set up a group of mirrors for use in tailoring, Coco retrieving her saddlebags as they did so. Now facing a trio of her own reflections she slipped into the silken folds of the dress.

‘Oh, there’s one more part to it.’ The designer disappeared momentarily into her bags, emerging fractional seconds later with a studded piece of jewellery, it taking Fleur a few moments more to recognise her lost choker, which in truth she had long forgotten. ‘I hope you don’t mind, but it was broken when I found it’ Coco clarified, looking slightly sheepish as she reached up, wrapping her forehooves around the taller unicorn’s neck in order to close the new clasp around it, ‘so I had a go at fixing it.’

Fleur caught the eyes of her mirror images, all similarly both blushing in and enjoying Coco’s embrace.

When are you going to say something?

‘There’ the earth mare concluded, taking a step back from her hoofiwork, ‘I thought the new gemstone would pick up your eyes.’ She looked at the floor, sheepish again as she spoke.

Fleur, choosing to ignore her inner voice, considered her reflections. The dress truly was gorgeous and the choker only added to its overall look, picking up the dark tone and images of the embroidered embellishments, whilst the deep purple charm stood out prominently central. The unicorn wearing it however was decidedly lacking, her face looking entirely plain beneath the untamed mess of her mane, inadequate for the outfit she wore.

‘Thoughts?’ Coco questioned, now in motion using a needle and thread to make adjustments, moving around her static subject.

‘I love it, it’s simply brilliant. I however am not. How do you want my mane and makeup for the show?’

Coco paused, stepping back around in front of Fleur. ‘If you’ll allow me?’ she asked, to which she received a nod, before reaching up with a forehoof to run it through the strands of her model’s hair. ‘Something like that maybe.’

‘What?’ Fleur exclaimed, next to no time having passed and no real difference being at all evident in her mirrored selves.

‘Yep’ Coco answered bluntly, seemingly absorbed in designer mode, returning to her alterations, ‘that’s it.’

‘Erm... okay, what about makeup?’

‘Nope, you look great as you are.’

‘Really?’

‘Yep.’

‘But…’

‘Seriously, you’re beautiful.’

---

Crap!

Coco felt herself burnt by a hot embarrassment, making her shrink back to working on the outfit’s train.

Couldn’t just stay quiet could you? Just 'cause she likes the dress you get all brash.

Eyes focused on her work, she hid behind her subject, moving upward to fix each skirt layer in turn, but quickly found herself stopping. There was a pervasive silence now between them and she felt its pressure as much as felt her own words as its cause.

Move things back to the show or something.

Her position suddenly seemed awkward, set at Fleur’s hind quarters, whilst the closeness of her working hooves to the mare she had just called ‘beautiful’ felt like it was taken without consent. The dress’s collar was now a much safer prospect and she retreated again to adjust it instead, consciously avoiding the purple eyes sitting above it.

---

There was now a silence, shouted between them, yelling out its absence to make its presence felt.

When are you going to say something?

Fleur’s body remained instinctively still, her eyes however were permitted movement, following the three mirrored designers whose normally pale brown faces had been turned a cuter shade of pink, currently shying away behind their work. A trio of unicorns looked back, a similar if lighter tone playing across their own cheeks.

You’ve got to say something.

The earth mares suddenly moved, leaving their hiding spot camouflaged behind the dresses’ skirts, coming back before their subjects, hooves going to further fix the collars of their created ensembles, but with gazes kept markedly down. Again accidentally in Coco’s hooves, Fleur found herself enjoying the feeling and at the same time thinking herself guilty for that being the case.

Just tell her how you feel.

‘Erm well… I’ Coco cut into the quiet unsteadily, ‘I really should say that this isn’t meant to be a show piece. I mean originally, at least conceptually, it kinda was, but I talked a lot to Sky when I was tailoring his stuff and Roxie when we were organising bits, with conversations inevitably going to you and your coming here to Manehattan.’ Her words continued: semi-considered before she spoke them, yet struggling over their thoughtful content. ‘It’s not that I’m not grateful for all you’ve done, 'cause I truly am, rather I don’t want to put you on the catwalk if that’s not where you want to be. So anyway I wanted to make this just for you, but not for it to be like a straightjacket, something that…’

Fleur bent down and nuzzled gently against the shorter mare’s head. Drawing back, for the briefest of moments she gazed into a pair of gleaming azure irises as they came up to meet her own, which then fell back shyly to the floor. She let her heart guide her forehoof as it rose, stroking Coco’s muzzle and guiding her eyes back to hers, before bringing their lips tentatively together, both sets feeling their way as opposed to being confident in their actions. This first kiss preceded others, each lasting longer than the ones before and speaking volumes where words had failed.

Author's Note:

Title: Finishing Touches (French)