Mirroring the Endless Night | Elliott x Female Farmer |

7. The Flower Dance

"Crops are watered, I checked on the chickens, I fed Orion... I'm pretty sure that's everything," Maria listed aloud, the old porch steps creaking under her weight as she walked up to her front door.

Briefly pausing, she checked the time on her phone and panicked upon seeing the numbers 8:36 flash on her screen. ' Shit, the dance starts at nine o'clock.'

Dashing into her house, she unceremoniously stripped off her cotton shirt and denim shorts, grumbling at how sweaty she already was despite it being early in the morning. ' Damn this early heat,' she grumbled, shrugging off her undergarments as she stepped into the bathroom and fiddled with knobs that would send water pouring out of the shower head.

One quick shower later Maria was toweling herself off as she walked back into the single room that was her house. Slipping on a fresh pair of panties and the only strapless bra she owned, she let out a content sigh as she picked up the white dress which had been carefully laid out across her wooden table.

She smiled fondly as she unzipped the back of the dress, treating the fabric with gentle care as she stepped into it and pulled it up over her torso and chest.

Emily had insisted that she make the farmer's dress unique, despite Maria insisting the opposite: "No, no! Each of the girl's dresses is different; Haley's is similar to something that'd be worn in a ballet performance with a sheer floral pattern, mine is a lot more minimal with a longer skirt, Abigail's skirt is high in the front and low in the back. C'mon, just lemme know what you want. Maybe something with breathable fabric or- oh! How would you feel about sheer sleeves?"

After about an hour of discussion and brainstorming, Emily had decided on and sketched her final design for Maria: a knee length dress which was tailored to fit snug on her waist, nicely showing off her natural curves. The skirt billowed out in folds, floating beautifully whenever she spun on her heels. The sleeves were off the shoulder and short, allowing for easy arm movement. The fabric breathed nicely, which the farmer was more than thankful for due to the warm weather.

Once the dress was zipped up and sitting snug on her form, she walked back into the bathroom to give herself a look over and make final adjustments. Deciding to keep it simple, she left her hair down, knowing it'd air dry and curl nicely by the time she got to the marked off location in Cindersap Forest.

Makeup wasn't something she normally wore, especially now that she worked on the farm and would typically sweat off any products she put on, but today was a special occasion. Small amounts of foundation and concealer were applied, mostly to cover up blemishes or scars that were either years old or newly garnered from farm work. As Maria worked to cover up the little imperfections, she curiously examined her reflection, noting the freckles that had begun to appear on her cheeks and arms, likely from the hours spent in the sun. Her already tan skin had deepened a tone or two, but luckily the dress was able to cover any unfavorable tan lines.

Satisfied with her appearance, she exited the bathroom and shut the door behind her. As she slipped on a pair of short-heeled slippers, Orion jumped up onto the open window pane and slipped into the house. "Try not to cause any trouble while I'm gone, you little rascal," she murmured, scratching behind the feline's ears as she walked past him.

The Burmese merely mewled and pressed his forehead to her palm, and she smiled sweetly before walking out of the house, checking the clock one last time before setting off down the dirt path she'd carved out, heading south with a skip in her step.

...

The water of the river rippled as what appeared to be a Sunfish dashed by, causing the reflection of the cloudless spring sky to distort. Elliott stared back at himself as he stood over the river, his freshly ironed blue suit reflecting brightly on the fresh water.