Envy

...Look at me over there, handling everything perfectly while these people drown in their holiday drama. I think I don't need anyone's... anyone's... whatever. I've got this. Right? For me, obviously right.

Locked...

The vanity lights cast a warm halo in Juniper’s bedroom, contrasting with the cooler cityscape beyond her windows. Steam lingered from her shower, softening the air as she sat completing her makeup with precise strokes. Each movement was deliberate but brief - mascara in a single pass, lip color so sheer it might have been balm. The scent of her signature perfume - subtle jasmine with deeper notes of amber - wrapped around her like an invisible embrace.

The garment bag waited by her wardrobe, its presence commanding attention even before she approached. Her silk robe whispered against her skin as she moved toward it, the room’s temperature raising goose bumps along her arms. The zipper’s descent revealed her chosen armor inch by inch - midnight blue silk crepe, its surface catching light like water in moonlight.

The garment was an exercise in restraint. Architectural seaming traced the bodice, each line placed with mathematical precision to enhance the natural form. The neckline dipped in a gentle V, while the back plunged dramatically, supported by nearly invisible straps that crossed like calligraphy against bare skin. At the hip, the fabric gathered subtly before falling in a liquid line to the floor, a hidden slit waiting to reveal itself with movement.