A New Dress

It was a sunny day in Regalia. The temperature was perfect; not too hot nor cold. Lovebirds stared up at the giant clouds dancing in the azure sky, making out familiar shapes within the abstract images provided by nature. The time was roughly three in the afternoon, when the sun no longer shined so brightly that the heat was seemingly unbearable. Had it been earlier in the day, Apollonia would surely feel like she was burning up, though that was not really something she had to worry about (as her tanned skin and heritage gave her some protection). The house she lived in was undeniably hot, too, but the woman felt that it was more dangerous to roast outside than bake indoors.

Dima Tzavaras-Ishmael, or simply Dima Tzavaras, was going on a walk with his mother. Avra had stayed behind with Aikaterine, who'd offered to watch over the four year old before it was time to go and bartend. With him held on her hip and a leather satchel resting on her right shoulder, Apollonia frequently switched the sides she held her two year old son on.

The sounds of music coming from a narrow alley caught Dima's attention before her own. Apollonia's gaze flickered over to the source, a trio of gypsy musicians. One woman, clad in a flamboyant and colorful gown, danced to the melodic drum rhythms and notes played by the lute. They were obviously street performers, and Apollonia took note of the upside down hat resting on the ground near the dancer and the two sitting men playing their instruments. She initially didn't intend to give them any money, but after the song ended, the drummer -- a young man with a scruffy red beard and an overall disheveled appearance -- waved over to her.

"Bonjour, madame. I am Dieudonneé Soler, the lovely madamoiselle you saw dancing is Aliénor Zéphyrine... And the lutist is named Melchiorre di Laterza. He... is not much of a talker." As he spoke, Dieudonneé gestured to each of the people mentioned. Aliénor had blonde, nearly white hair and extremely pale skin, and a rather small and willowy frame. Though she was roughly the same height as Apollonia, the young woman had more childlike features and appeared much, much younger. Maybe thirteen or fourteen. Melchiorre, on the other hand, looked more pampered than his colleagues, with brushed and neatly arranged light brown hair. Wrinkles were absent from his dark clothing. Obviously he was the dark, handsome and mysterious one of the bunch. Had she not been in a romantic relationship with Dimitri, Apollonia would have probably been quite drawn to him.

"�"ειά σας. Με λένε �'πολλωνια Τζα�™άρας," she responded, a friendly grin spreading across her lips. Upon seeing the confusion settling on the gypsies' faces, the woman repeated a simplified version of her phrase. "Hello. My name is Apollonia Tzavaras. This is my son Dima. Che is two right now, mhm."As if on queue, Dima released a few hearty giggles, flailing his tiny little arms.

"Madame, do you dance?" asked Aliénor, raising a blonde eyebrow. After her question being met with a simple shake of the head, she continued to pester Apollonia about the matter. "I should try and teach you, Madame Tzavaras. I think you'd be very good at it, oui. Perhaps I'll give you one of my dresses for it. Or you could buy it from me. Either work."

"Perchaps I will, κυρία. And I currently do not chave any dresses like the one you do, so that would be a nice addition to my wardrobe."

The two women spoke for a while longer about the price of the dress Apollonia would purchase, before Aliénor proceeded to return to her house and retrieve one of her dresses. The price was eight hundred regals, which Apollonia gave promptly after receiving the pale red dress. She never ended up getting dance lessons, but it didn't really matter anymore.