Free Web NovelChapter 67: Chapter 67: Fiona and Dana
Dana shifted behind Percy, eyes moving between the two strangers who seemed to know Percy.
Fiona noticed immediately. Her gaze drifted from Dana back to Percy with a small smile. "I hope we haven’t disturbed your date, Mr. Valemont."
Lyro looked at Dana. Then at Percy. "Oh"
Percy waved a hand. "You’ve misunderstood Miss Fiona ." He stepped aside. "This is my sister. Dana."
"We’re not blood related," he added, "but we were brought up together."
Lyro blinked . "Oh"
Fiona brought a hand to her mouth. "How lovely. A brother and sister out shopping together."
Her eyes moved briefly to the price tag on Percy’s suit, then to Dana’s dress.
Percy smiled. "I’m just showing her around. She hasn’t been here long."
"That’s wonderful." Fiona turned to Dana with a warm smile. "Hello, Miss Dana. I’m Fiona Cooper , a colleague of your brother’s."
Dana nodded and straightened slightly. "My name is Dana Fellia. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance." A small pause. "Please look after my brother and his shortcomings."
Percy’s lips twitched at the last part.
"Oh, how polite " Fiona started.
"And cute," she added.
Dana’s eyes slid away, a faint frown appearing.
Fiona caught it immediately and adjusted without missing a beat. "I mean , you’re a very well-mannered young lady."
Dana fidgeted slightly.
Fiona caught that too. Something shifted behind her expression, quiet and knowing.
"So that’s what it is."
Percy and Lyro watched the exchange from where they stood.
Percy turned to Lyro. Their eyes met. Percy’s said everything without a word.
Lyro shrugged. He had no idea either.
Dana had somehow drifted down another aisle with Fiona entirely of her own accord, their voices already dropping into easy conversation.
Percy stared after them.
" Was Dana always this easy around strangers?"
He was fairly certain she wasn’t. She was reserved. Cautious. It had taken Mrs. Callyst a full evening to get that much out of her.
"So was it Fiona? Did she somehow maneuver Dana into this?"
He replayed the last two minutes and couldn’t find the exact moment it had happened.
Percy felt a tap on his shoulder. Lyro came level with him, eye to eye.
"Hey. Could you and your sister go somewhere else?"
Percy blinked. "What do you mean?"
Lyro cleared his throat and avoided eye contact. "Well, you see cough I’m kind of cough ,on a cough. "Date." cough cough "With Miss Fiona."
Two more cough "And i would like to be alone with her at this today."
Percy looked at him.
"Oh." freёwebnoѵel.com
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They ended up standing side by side at an angle with a clear view of the aisle where Fiona and Dana were already deep in conversation, smiling and pulling dresses from the rack.
Lyro picked up a skirt and held it up with the approximate expression of a man examining something meaningful. Percy slapped it out of his hands and replaced it with a pair of trousers.
"So how do we separate them?" Percy asked.
Lyro turned the trousers over. "Miss Dana is your sister. You could take her somewhere. Suggest something."
Percy sighed . "That would be hard since asking to go somewhere without an appropriate reason would make it look like , i don’t want her to be associated with Miss Fiona . And, i rather not get on her bad side."
Percy nudged him " How about you ask Miss Fiona to go somewhere else , since you know , you guys are on a date and all .
Lyro shook his head . " She seems to be enjoying Miss Dana’s company more than me i doubt she would agree."
After a short pause .
"I barely managed to get Miss Fiona to agree to this in the first place," he added.
Percy said nothing.
Lyro looked over and found Percy already looking at him, a smirk forming on his mouth.
Lyro’s brow twitched. "I’m tempted to hit your face."
"Trust me," Percy said. "I know how that feels."
---
"Your waist is so small," Fiona announced, holding a dress up against Dana and stepping back to assess. "This would fit you beautifully." She stepped aside to let Dana see herself in the mirror as she held the dress up for her .
Dana saw herself in the mirror, but then looked up at her.
"B-But since Miss Fiona is..." She hesitated, searching for the words. "Pretty and tall, I’m sure any dress would look fashionable on you."
Fiona made a sound of delight and pulled her into a squeeze. "You are so precious." She released her and turned back to the rack. "Right. Let’s find you the best ones."
Dana looked at the tags and felt the number register.
"I don’t think brother has enough money for these. They’re all quite expensive. And he still needs to buy a suit for himself."
Fiona clutched her chest. "How can such an adorable creature exist? "
She fought against her urge to hug Dana tightly.
"I’ll pay. Don’t worry." She assured her , flipping her hair .
"But..."
Fiona had already begun pulling dresses from the rack and stacking them into Dana’s arms. "Try this one. And this. Oh, and this one too."
Dana almost burried within the mountain of clothes.
---
"How about you tell her you’re hungry?" Lyro offered.
Percy shook his head. "We had breakfast not long ago. It would be strange and would make me seem like a foodie."
Lyro thought for a moment. "How about ... no." He rubbed his chin " That doesn’t seem practical " he murmured
While Percy had gone still.
Lyro noticed and followed his gaze. "Hey. What happened?"
Percy’s eyes were fixed on the aisle. He had already decided to use his Oath on the store attendant while he was here, and on impulse extended it toward Fiona and Dana , not to compel anything, just to try to read their lips or catch something useful.
He couldn’t make out the words.
But he caught a clear glimpse of the price tags on the dresses Fiona was loading into Dana’s arms, one after another.
"She better not be expecting me to pay for all of those."
