and the stars in their orbits shone pale through the lightof the brighter, colder moon

Nadya could tell that her story about the trios past, especially the sliver of detail to Aiden's entrapment by Risque, was new to Sam. However, it wasn't one that the young woman was about to give any more information about. A brief overview was all that was needed in this particular moment and anything beyond that was for Aiden to explain if Sam so wished to know. Nadya's thoughtful gaze surveyed the store through the parked car window as Sam began to fidget in the passenger seat. The very fact that Sam had holes in her clothes, and the few stomach rumblings she had heard in the past, told Nadya that she didn't have the money. Nadya may pay her employees well but it was still a business and she still had to turn a profit which meant she couldn't favor any, even Sam, with a higher wage than others.

"I know you don't have money. Since you'll be the Acting Manager of the burlesque you need to look that part. There is no way you are getting clothes from...Salvation Army." The mere name seemed to be bitter in Nadya's mouth. "Call it a promotional bonus; the clothes will be covered by the business. It's really no different than having to get the girl's outfits for their routines; the ones you need just can't be bought from a catalogue." Nadya snatched her purse and slipped out from the car, "Come on."

She led Samantha into the clothing store which greeted them with the smell of light perfume and new linen and leather the moment they stepped into the temperature controlled environment of bright lights. "Good evening." A woman chirped from the desk to which Nadya turned to acknowledge and was greeted with a smile of recognition from the woman. "Nadya, how good to see you again." Nadya smiled back warmly at the middle-aged brunette. "Hello Amanda. Anything good in? I have a friend here in desperate need of an upgrade." Nadya motioned to Samantha though kept her attention on Amanda who nodded and stepped out from behind the desk. "We just got in our new spring collection and our fall just went on sale. It's in the usual spot." Nadya tilted her head for Samantha to follow her and Amanda as the sales associate led them deeper into the depths of the store. "Here you are." Amanda stopped and gestured to the wall and several racks. "We brought in a line of Daphne Guiness over there too." Amanda pointed to another wall. "Than k you, Amanda, I'll let you know if we need anything."

The woman nodded and left Nadya and Sam to their business to go check on the other customers in the store that milled about. Nadya's attention was now fully on the rack nearest them, flipping through it with practiced ease. The moment her hands busied themselves on the fabric and her thoughts focused on the clothes, calculating if they would look good on Samantha, the turmoil that had been raging within her began to diminish. "Do you know what size you are?" Nadya glanced at Samantha before pulling out an outfit and holding it up next to her. "Your light skin and blonde hair mean there are a lot of colors you can wear. And you have legs...you should learn to show them off more. Guys like to see legs and while I never want to know the intimate details about you and my brother, he is a guy just the same so will like these clothes on you too." She began to thrust skirts, dresses, tops, and pants into Samantha's arms. "Try these ones on first." Nadya turned Samantha about by her shoulders and gently nudged her to the dressing room. After seeing to it that Samantha was on the path to the dressing room she allowed her attention to drift over to the more elaborate evening outfits. Nadya grabbed a dress for herself and following Samantha to the dressing room.

It felt good to be back in the familiar environment of her old work, surrounded by the clothes that she had grown accustomed to. Nadya slipped into the stall beside Samantha and shimmied into the black lace dress she had chosen. "I want to see each outfit, Sam." She called out, reaching her arms around to zip up the dress before stepping out of the stall. Nadya stood in wait in the aisle between the stalls, examining her reflection in the mirror as she waited on Sam to show her outfits. For a moment her thoughts strayed to what Frost would think about the dress she wore, causing a rise in her emotions once more, the tumultuous mixture of frustration at the circumstances that now kept them apart. Nadya shook her head and took a deep breath to regather herself and refocus on Samantha. "You fall in there?"