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 Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2007 9:55 am
Beneath the flourescent lights of the tween salon the glitter embedded in the floor sparkled brightly. Manuela had been hesitant to come to it seeing as how it seemed a little immature for her new status, but her mother had told her that she was supposed to meet someone. Irelia, she had been told, a girl she vaguely remembered from the Christmas party. She had seemed a little bossy, but at least she wasn't a tomboy like Riley. Well, she didn't seem to be. The assistant came to her in the waiting room, a pleasant smile on her face. "What can I help you with?" she asked politely. Manny smiled, but didn't get up, "Nothing yet. Me and a friend have a reservation for two spa days under Escalera though." The assistant nodded and went back to work, leaving her watching the door.
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Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 11:24 am
Asher had breathed a sigh of relief when he received a phone call from Miss Escalera. Irelia had been out and about town for the past month, on a rampage of sorts. Irelia loved pretty things, and loved new dresses, but she was very hard on her clothing, climbing abandoned buildings and mountains and trees. She seemed to be searching for something, but Asher couldn't figure it out for the life of him.
Irelia was gone the afternoon that the woman had called, and Asher hoped that she would be home soon, as Asher had no way of contacting her. He had bought her a cell phone for Christmas, but she hated phones, so she kept it off. She did promise to turn it on and phone him if there was an emergency but Asher wondered what Irelia would consider an emergency when she had returned home a handful of times bloody and bruised, the target of random bullying or falls through old, creaky floors. Asher had tried to ground her, but she became withdrawn and silent, thinking on things far above her age. When she started discussing the mortality of man Asher decided that a bruised, happy Irelia was better than a pristine, unhappy one.
But Miss Escalera had solved a problem that Asher hadn't known would come up. Irelia had no female friends, save Riley, but she was not a paragon on womanliness that Irelia so sorely needed. Asher dnew that Irelia was not predisposed to be a tomboy, but she acted like one most of the time, and she had no handle on her temper at all.
Perhaps by meeting this young woman Irelia could finally see that she could be a pretty girl too, instead of a ragamuffin.
Irelia tore in to the apartment like a tornado, disrupting the papers that Asher had placed with care on his work table. Irelia opened the fridge, loudly exclaiming her hunger, but closed the door when she noticed Asher looking at her.
"What's wrong dad?" Irelia paused, then twirled over to Asher, "You have a secret for me, don't you."
Asher nodded, and handed Irelia her coat.
"Manuela Escalera is meeting you for the weekend, at the spa. You're already late, but I packed your bag, and here are the directions to the salon."
Irelia took the offered bag and paper, and stared at the directions.
"You're not coming with me?" Irelia asked, her lip trembling.
Asher was taken aback. Irelia never wanted anything to do with him, other than getting a kiss goodnight.
"Well, you're a big girl now. And Manuela is older than you and probably wnet by herself."
Hearing that, Irelia puffed up with indignation.
"Of course I'll go by myself. Miss Manuela will be no match for Irelia the greatest!" Irelia stormed out of the door, kissing Asher on the cheek as she left.
When Irelia arrived at the salon, she gulped. Manuela was inside, and she was hesitant to talk to her. The older girl seemed impenetrable and wise in the world, for her clothes were nice and not ripped.
Irelia opened the salon door, wincing at the bell that rang cheerfully at her presence.
"Hullo," Irelia tremulously replied.
The salon women stared at Irelia.
Covered with mud, pine needles in her hair and her dress ripped, Irelia was a seemingly insurmountable task.
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Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 11:49 am
Manuela got to her feet, a slightly distressed look on her face when she noted how dirty the younger girl was. She hadn't really expected it, since the only times she had seen her before she had looked fairly neat. "Hey, Irelia?" she said cautiously, flicking her tail at her feet, "I'm Manuela, I think we've met before. You want to start with a sauna?" Well, that would get her out of those dirty clothes at least, and it might just be relaxing enough to break the ice.
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Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 1:18 pm
"Um, sure?" Irelia replied, worried. She had no idea there actually was such a thing as a sauna, though she knew that it meant hot, for her father often used the word to complain about the heat.
Seeing Manuela's tail, Irelia gulped. What if Manuela was used to hotter heat than she was, because her tail had a fire on it (and Irelia suspected that that was the way it was supposed to be)
The last time she had seen Manuela she had been dancing with Harper, and while Irelia had nothing against her personally, she felt that she couldn't compare to the tall, beautiful girl that Harper seemed to have so much interest in.
Irelia was ushered in to a back room, where they handed her a white, fluffy towel and she was instructed to take off her clothes.
Irelia did so, but left the iron bars on the top of her chest. Nothing could get those off, no matter how hard her father tried. The keyhole hurt if she got it wet, but she smiled at Manuela, pretending that everything would be okay.
"Shall we go in?" Irelia was on her best behavior.
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