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Even though the dress Sadie was currently wearing was much simpler than her Squire gown, it was far itchier. It was dusty pink, with a little lace detailing on the top and a full tulle skirt. Her hair was pulled into a updo that straddled the line between summery and elaborate. She was even wearing a thick layer of makeup. It did help some with the scars, but it felt heavy on her skin, and it was a little itchy, too.

This was not her doing.

Her family was generally not flashy with their money. She was spared the extravagant weekly parties that some of her cousins had to deal with, but there were times when she found herself forced to dip her toes into the world of being a socialite. Local charity events were just the kind of thing her parents loved, although Sadie could not help but notice that they had not loved it enough to show up themselves. Her youngest sister, who true as truly loved these dazzling events, had been sent to present a pricey antique tea set on behalf of her mother's bank, and Sadie had been asked to come with her. She had not said no.

The afternoon had been lovely enough, with the dressing up and all, but of course once they'd gotten there, her sister had vanished into a little crowd, smiling and laughing, and Sadie had found herself alone. She could manage that, too, even if it wasn't quite as nice. After a pass by the snack and drink table, she made her way to the side of the room, ready to watch people for a few hours.

It was a surprise when the first person she saw was someone she recognized. He looked different in a suit, but not so different, and she walked over to him with a soft smile. "Um, hi," she said. "Duncan, right?"

Oh, good. He recognized her. The careful, formal event smile softened. "Yeah. It's Sadie. Hi." This was someone who had who had already helped her once. She didn't have to stumble over any introductions.

"I'm here to present something for my mom's bank. Well, my sister is. I'm moral support, maybe?" The crowds parted in just the right way to give Sadie a glimpse of her sister, who seemed to be leaning against a boy and giggling. That had been fast. "Not that she needs it."

Duncan was pressed nearly flat against the wall, and talking in an odd prickly tone about his company. Maybe he could use the support a bit more. "Do you not like formals?" asked Sadie, tilting her head.

"Well, the clothes are a little itchy, and the people can be too much sometimes, especially if you run into someone who knows you just well enough to ask about your future until you feel like a bug pressed between microscope slides," she said.

She presented her little saucer of snacks to him like she was a waitress and said, "But the food is almost always good." At the moment she had some little star-shaped quiches and some fruity sweets.

Sadie tilted her head. "You don't want to speak?" He'd seemed fine with speaking before, but maybe he hadn't had to work, then. There was probably more demands for lifeguards in the summer. After a brief glance around, she placed her glass down on a nearby windowsill so that she could sign, Sorry. ASL?

He settled back into spoken English quickly enough, though, and Sadie smiled, glad she could continue to hold her snacks even if she couldn't practice her sign.

Sadie considered the suit at hand. "I think you look nice as nice, Duncan," she said. "It gives you a sharp, classic look, like you just stepped out of a red carpet photograph." Maybe it was a little on the tight side, but that look was becoming more popular lately, and it wasn't so noticeable unless you were looking. "Although I do think people look best in whatever makes them happiest."

She wondered what that would be for him. His lifeguard clothes? Something comfortable? For her, it was probably garden overalls and dirt smudged up to her elbows, not the dress, either, but she still smiled when he complimented her, a hint of color coming to her cheeks.

"Thank you," she said. "I haven't been to something like this since, um," she did the instinctual half-turn to hide her scars, "In a while. I don't know if I would want to be swarmed right now. Even if I'd known how to small talk, then, I would have forgotten by now."

She caught herself and turned back, forcing her shoulders down. "A walk sounds lovely, though. Where should we go? Would you like fresh air, or should we go see what's up for sale?" Her eyes went a little dreamy as she looked over at the table. The artist in her liked seeing what old or beautiful things people decided to part with.

Sadie blinked as he looked away. Oh, should she not have said anything?

At least a passing staff member came by to collect dirty dishes, and Sadie popped her last snack in her mouth so she could give them her plate, and by the time that was all sorted she he was talking again.

"Thank you," she said, and she slipped her arm into his. "I do appreciate it." It was much nicer to be with a friend than at the mercy of strangers, although she did suddenly giggle as she realized that if they ran into one of her aunties, it might be Duncan who found himself on the receiving end of questions.

Luckily, that coast seemed clear and she started making her way over towards the display. "Sometimes local artists donate to these things. That's always my favorite. This one seems like it's more businesses, maybe, so hopefully there's still something interesting."

She glanced over, not quite sure what to say since they couldn't really talk about being knights. "Um, I looked at the catalogue and it seems like they have some equipment for different hobbies. What do you do when you're not swimming?"

"Well, the local art scene is my hobby in some ways," said Sadie. Walking arm in arm didn't seem to bother her. If anything, she relaxed into it. She was always the friend who enjoyed physical closeness when she could get it, and this was no exception.

"Did I tell you I'm a graphic designer?" she asked. "I'm a graphic designer, professionally. I started off with traditional art when I was little, though, and I still love watercolor painting and keeping up with other artists."

There were, in fact, a few oil paintings among what mostly seemed to be antiques, and Sadie had been edging towards them, but something Duncan said caught her attention, and she looked over to him with a smile in her eyes. "You model?" It wasn't a surprising thing. He really did look like he belonged on the red carpet. "That suits you, I think. I'd love to see your work, or to hear your music."

Sadie started looking over the items. She saw her mother's tea set among them. Nothing else really stood out. "As for me, I think I like gardening best of all." Just talking about it made her face light up. "I have an old YouTube channel and I think about making more videos, sometimes." She glanced back over. "Not that I was ever famous. It was small as small." She'd liked her followers, though. They'd always been kind. "I'm not usually so fancy, though. I watch Netflix most nights, that's all."

"Graphic design isn't so much about the painting," she said, even as she seemed to admire whatever craftsmanship she could find in the objects before her. "Although the painting can help if there's an element you're missing. It's more arranging all the tiny pieces until you've got the perfect webpage, or an advertisement that feels like a story."

She had that zoned-out, talking about work tone in her voice, but she perked up a little towards the end. "Remind me next time and I'll show you my portfolio."

She'd look at his modeling prints, too, but she wouldn't push the issue here, not with him looking so flustered his cheeks were flushing pink as strawberries. She wondered if he got flustered during shoots, too, or if it was just something about the reputation of models.

"I like watching things grow," she said instead, about the gardening. "If you ever want to get started, I can help. Although I may try to cover your house in plants if you let me," she said, smile edging into a smirk. "Gardening's not usually so good in the winter, either, although I do have a bit of an, um," they weren't under the stars, but she glanced at the ceiling, hoping her would get the message, "Secret greenhouse."

"Well, even with all that, winter is still not the best for gardening," said Sadie with a little bit of a wistful look. "That's the time of year when I end up falling down the Netflix rabbit hole the hardest." It was also when she slept the most, and when the pile of takeout containers in her kitchen got the tallest. It was just so dark and cold as cold and she didn't want to be awake then anymore than her plants did.

It was good that it was months away. "Native plants are the easiest, anyway, and there are lots of nice ones," she said. "There's ox-eyed sunflowers, butterfly weed, oh, and cherries!" She brightened at that. "The sour ones, mostly, and they take years to grow, but they're my favorite."

Then she realized she was talking a little too fast and she slowed down. "But, um, enough about that. You write your own music, too?" Even if he was the type with unfinished projects, it still seemed a lovely way to pass the colder months. She smiled at him. "You just keep getting more and more interesting. What kind of music do you like?"