She sighed heavily as she stood against the wall in Diagon Alley.  Just where had Vane disappeared to?  Not that she was surprised, the man on occasion would leave her to her own devices.  Still they had been out hunting werewolves long enough that trips back to London were few and far between.  She wasn't even sure that she could accurately remember when she was last in town.  Things were certainly different...and her Father's change in careers seemed to be working quite well for him.  Although the brief moment she had seen him he seemed to be worn out.  But it seemed like he had finally caught a break because he looked relieved.

Whatever the situation was, she really needed to stay focus on herself.  Strange that not that long ago she had been in the Ministry as an Auror-in-training and seeking to please her Father who was the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Department.  However she felt flawed as a witch...and had no real confidence in her abilities.  Her Father had noted that she had even separated the two different knowledges of fighting...her martial arts skills and then her skills as a witch.  Then she met the man known as Vane Hendric.  He was a werewolf hunter.  Specifically hunting down werewolves that embraced their wild and animalistic urges.

Ciarra knew that she had hurdles to clear in order to break down the walls she had placed on herself.  With her Father's recommendation she became Vane's apprentice and enter the world of werewolf hunting.  It was one of the most dangerous jobs that someone could do, especially with the risk of potentially becoming a werewolf yourself if you made the wrong move.  Vane however, did not allow her to do anything that he felt she wasn't ready for.  Unless it was a lesson he was teaching her.  Which often led to things she would not forget so easily.

Life sometimes felt it was running past her.  And should she really be surprised?  No, probably not.  Then again there was really no use thinking about it.  It wasn't like she was dissatisfied with the way her life was right now.  She had improved drastically over how she was before.  Now she was able to use all of her skills without switching her way of thinking like before.  Ciarra had become more of a warrior, able to go from melee combat to spell casting without thought.  An invaluable skill when facing werewolves who were both resistant to certain spells...and could close distances with frightening speed.  Her smaller size and agility made it easier for her to evade and as a matter of fact in tighter locations like alleys or small rooms, Ciarra had a significant advantage.

She tapped her foot, reminding herself that she was wearing the weighted boots that was part of her training for Vane.  Each boot had twenty pounds to it, but that wasn't all.  She wore a long black trenchcoat that was also weighed down.  It was another forty pounds that was on her.  Overall it was an additional eighty pounds on her.  Vane joked that he had done quite a bit more...but was also quick to remind that her strength was in agility and speed while Vane was more about pure strength.

"Really, if it wasn't for the weights I would look like I've followed a little too closely in my Fathers footsteps in terms of fashion sense," Ciarra muttered looking at her outfit which was entirely black.  It was rumored in the Auror office that her Father literally owned no other color.  She couldn't contradict it, it wasn't like she knew what was in her Father's wardrobe.

Well Ciarra did take care of her own appearance.  Her hair had gotten longer now but other than that she still wore makeup and stayed as clean as the assignments allowed her to be.  Sometimes the werewolves that they hunted often led them away from society.

She sighed heavily and finally moved away from the wall, "That's it, Vane!  I'm not waiting for you.  Since I am here...I am going shopping!"  Ciarra pronounced and began walking down the street.  For the first time it what felt far too long...she would go buy some new clothes.

Shamera had been enjoying a somewhat eventful morning so far.  It had been a while since she’d seen her mother, despite being in the same area. Both of them had different job hours, and her mom tended to work mornings to afternoons.  Sham was very much a night owl, being a nightclub owner, and especially with the other work she tended to do. Once the nightclub was closed, she normally was out doing research on whatever side project she had going on. So on this Monday morning, they’d been able to put aside time for breakfast.

Her mom might not have approved so much of her current job, saying she could be doing much more.  She also made it known during breakfast.  But due to Sham’s gift for words, she’d been able to convince her mom that she was doing well and enjoyed her job.  Reassuring her mom was what helped her to calm down.  Sham hated seeing her mother upset over herself. Because no matter what, she wants to see her mother happy.

So now that she’d finished with that, Shamera was enjoying a stroll through Diagon Alley during the daytime.  It had been a long while since she’d done that, having been rather busy during the holidays with the Underground. It had also been a while since she’d been able to spoil herself with anything new, and she was due for a self-present. 

As Shamera was walking through Diagon Alley, she noticed a girl, perhaps a couple years younger than herself. The girl was wearing all black, and seemed to be yelling at an invisible someone. Sham watched as the girl said that she was going shopping, then walked away from the wall in her direction. It had been a while since she had been shopping, but she did remember it being more fun with someone else. Perhaps she’d see what sort of company this other girl would be.

“Boy troubles of some sort?” Sham decided to ask, as she walked close enough to the other girl. “And I think that shopping is exactly what you need. I don’t mean to offend, but all black is best left to thieves.”

Shamera gave the girl a smile, to hopefully show that she meant no insult. And granted, some of Sham’s best work was done in all black.  But during the daytime, she tried to stay away from those colors. In fact, she actually rather enjoyed wearing colors, though usually stayed towards the darker end of the spectrum. And greens were usually a favorite, as they went well with her hair.

Ciarra wished she could say that she had been taken by surprise, but the nature of her work made her paranoid at her surroundings and had already taken note of everyone else that had been around her.  When was the last time she had even felt like a woman?  As a young girl she had often dreamed of a stronger man protecting her but that man would never exist for her.  And because of her desire to be recoignized by her Father she had ended up as she was now....strong, independent and chasing down wild werewolves  and oddly enough...with another werewolf.  Vane was a strict teacher and not the most pleasant of men to be aroun.  But she got used to his particular brand of characteristics. 

She laughed as this girl proposed boy troubles.  A part of her really wished that it was the case.  "If only it were boy troubles...my life would be much easier I would wager," she thought about her statement a bit further.  "Well maybe not easier but definitely less life threatening."  Always having the thread of messing up and getting sliced, or bitten by a werewolf can definitely keep you on your toes.  Not to mention the added bonus of if you mess up you could become a werewolf yourself.  That wouldn't be a very good on your reputation as a werewolf hunter if you screw up.  And was probably why Vane continued to be so hard on her. 

Despite having the additional weight Ciarra didn't move unnaturally at all.  But her trench coat probably looked odd because it probably looked heavy...and technically it was, but Ciarra no longer noticed the difference.  As a matter of fact things felt almost wrong if she wasn't wearing the weighted boots and trench coat.  That just went to show her how long she had been wearing the damn things.

"I don't mind wearing black.  But for fear of my clothing collection looking about as undiversified as my Fathers...I think I need some definite color in my purchases today," Ciarra gave the girl a smile and then offered her a hand.  "I'm Ciarra Belisario, It has been a long time since I've been back to Diagon Alley.  Although I doubt there is many changes around here.  The likely hood of anything significant changing here is about as much as there is of my Father putting on a blue jacket.  Which is to say...impossible."

Talking with one of her own gender?  Yeah it is a problem when Ciarra wasn't sure she could pinpoint when the last time that happened.

“Less threatening? Who knows about that, men can be vultures sometimes, and still threatening.” Shamera gave short laugh. She didn’t know what kind of threatening things this other girl dealt with, but she wouldn’t pry into her life to find out. Sham had her own secrets, and she’d allow the other girl hers. Because granted, a pretty girl who wore all black was most likely doing so for other reasons.

When a girl had secrets, she was pretty good at keeping them.  Of course, there were some who had no concept of secrecy.  Tell them something and it’s everywhere within the next day. Sham encountered a handful of those throughout Hogwarts. Definitely not her favorite people, she found out.  There were times before she had the Underground that people would ask her what she was doing with her life, and as fun as it would be to say being a bounty hunter, it definitely wasn’t wise.  And people didn’t like a non-answer, so Sham had to start being clever.

“Shamera Harvey, nice to meet you. And you are correct, nothing has really changed. There are some pretty good shops around, though. Good for color. Twilfit and Tattings is always a good choice, as is Madam Malkins. There may be some newer ones a little further down, but I haven’t had a chance to explore them yet.”

This could be fun. Despite not doing it all too often, Shamera enjoyed shopping.  Then again, she wasn’t sure she knew any female who didn’t.  There probably were some, but none she could think of. And something else that didn’t happen was actually going out and doing something with someone else. Sure she had friends, but it was hard to coordinate schedules. Plus most of the ‘friends’ she had might be questionable beings who helped her with her other job.  People she met at the Underground were often drunk, though there were a fair share of coherent, interesting people to converse with.

But she felt like Ciarra would be a good acquaintance.  Possibly even friend, depending on how today went. And Sham realized she could definitely use more of those.

It wasn't like anything specific came to Ciarra's mind when it came to clothing.  She was reminded of a close friend she had at Hogwarts who often wore bright red clothing.  Then again she had been a Gryffindor and the color choice was easy to make.  For Ciarra who had been in Slytherin, it had been mostly dark colors.  She wasn't sure those colors were really what she needed or wanted either.  After all there were so many different looks to go for.  And something that didn't scream that she was up to no good would be a definite step in the right direction.

"I think Madam Malikins is closest.  Hey if you don't mind would you want to come with?  I mean I've been so out of the loop on fashion and the state of things that I probbly would make a horrible fashion mistake without knowing.  My mentor has had me think of clothing in complete functionality only," Ciarra shook her head.  The fact that her current clothes doubled as protection and a means of continous training was the pivotal point of her words.  What girl wears clothes that add an additional eighty pounds to you?  Just for strength training.  Though her real focus was on agility and speed.  But Vane had always been quick to point out that you can't be fast without the muscles and build in order to facilitate that.

To think that not too long ago she had dreamed of being an Auror and yet now she was on a total different path in life.  Still just because she enjoyed the path she was on didn't mean she was completely satisfied.  She was still a woman and had that side of her to satisfy as well.  What better way then making a new friend and making a day of it.  Ciarra could hardly anticipate trying on a multitude of outfits.  Hopefully Shamera was game for it.  Or this would be a really short meeting.

She wasn't sure where Scirey had went off to.  Perhaps her art had finally gotten recognized.  Hard to tell there wasn't any real news as of late.  She pushed those thoughts aside though.  All she could do was move forward with what she had in front of her.  And that was exactly what she was going to do.

“I don’t mind at all. I’d been planning on doing some shopping too, and it’d be cool to have someone with. I’m sure we can find you something with more color. And lighter perhaps.” Shamera was intrigued by her mentor and what they were a mentor for.

Not many people wore such a heavy trench coat, plus the boots.  There weren’t too many jobs that called for such a wardrobe choice.  While Sham was interested, she didn’t feel like she knew the girl well enough to question it.  While most people would ask about jobs and such, this seemed like quite a different line of work.

“To Madam Malkins then!” Shamera said, and started walking in the direction of the store.

Sham started wondering about the relationship between Ciarra and her mentor. It seemed like he’d just left her on her own out of nowhere.  Granted ,yes, she was old enough to take care of herself. But it was a little odd.  But then Shamera wondered what it would have been like if she’d had a mentor to guide her.  Being young on the streets trying to learn your way without your mother knowing isn’t easy.  It would have been nice to have someone show her around, and how to do things.  But perhaps it was good that she didn’t. It kind of made her feel accomplished when she realized how much she’d done on her own.

“So this mentor of yours, does he often disappear randomly?” Sham decided to ask. Since Ciarra had mentioned him a couple times, it should be fair game to ask about.

"My mentor...well he certainly likes to teach in a unorthodox method, that is for sure.  It seems like whenever we actually come to a town he'll disappear on me and then just show up out of nowhere.  He usually claims he had some business but never takes the time to tell me what that is or how long he will be," despite her complaints she smiled a bit.  "It was really frustrating at first, but I just think the old man has a sporadic thought process."

It didn't take them much to be at the front of Madam Malkins.  Ciarra held the door open for Shamera before going in herself.  And the first thought that came to Ciarra was how alien this whole thing felt.  Had she really been that far removed that shopping felt foreign to her?  Apparently so.  It was an amusing thought.

"It is an interesting line of work to be sure.  I should probably tell you what I do," Ciarra chuckled.  "I'm a werewolf hunter.  Essentially it is a very specific kind of bounty hunter if you think about it.  We hunt down werewolves that embrace the animalistic side of the werewolf transformation.  A lot of them go off into the wild to evade ministry and what not.  So I guess I have spent most of the last few months just out in the wild.  Maybe not the most ideal living situation but I enjoy it for what it is."

There was certainly a lot of color in the store...and she had barely gone that far into it.  Red, orange, blue, green, and many many more colors.  She could just imagine her old friend attempting to deck Ciarra out in red.  Well actually that may not be a bad color for her.  If Scirey was here maybe she would put her in something blue.  She wasn't sure about Shamera's taste or preferences though since they had only just met.  But what better way to find out than by shopping?

“That does sound frustrating. But I suppose after a while you’d just get used to it. Definitely an interesting way to teach, then.” Sham replied, and as they entered the store, she looked over at Ciarra. The amount of color in the store seemed to be a little much, but Sham was sure the other girl would be fine. Color definitely could be intimidating. Especially when someone wore black most of the time.

When Ciarra told her what she did for a living, Sham was a little surprised, but not too much.  She’d guessed it was something intense, judging by the wardrobe choices the other girl made. But a werewolf hunter wasn’t exactly what she’d been expecting.  There weren’t many people who did such a job, and it definitely was a dangerous line of work.  While Shamera had already decided she liked Ciarra, this made her respect her more too.  Though, despite that, Sham still wasn’t going to share the fact that she was a bounty hunter. She preferred to keep that part secret and that’s why she had the Underground.

“That seems like a pretty intense career choice. Though I suppose rather necessary to keep them from creating more werewolves. Especially if they’re like how old Fenrir was. He was quite an animal.” Sham said. “I, on the other hand, deal with animals of another sort. I own and run a nightclub here in Diagon called The Underground. Sometimes when people get drunk they act like animals, and I have to sort them out. Not quite like a werewolf, though.”
Shamera laughed a little at the comparison.  They definitely weren’t that similar, but sometimes the men would act animalistic when they’d had too much. But still, not really like a wild werewolf.

“So, are there any colors you’d like to try? Maybe even try to find a blue jacket for your dad?” Shamera laughed. “Or not. But for you, since you’re used to black, I’d say dark green or blue could be good to start with.  Maybe some dark red too. Then after seeing how daring you feel, go a bit lighter. Definitely shouldn’t start with hot pink though.”

They walked past a very bright display, as Sham led towards some darker colors.  “What do you think, dresses or no? These would both probably look good on you.”

Sham held out two dresses. One was a dark blueish purple, while the other was a dark red.

“What do you think? Or would you rather stick with trousers and blouses?”

Well sticking to trousers and a blouse would be so...safe by comparison to a dress.  Heck...when had she even last worn a dress?  Not since she was in Hogwarts probably.  Around the time she spent a lot of time with one Kyle Gibson.  Who knows what had happened to him since then.  There had been a time where he was going to move in with her and Scirey...but looked like her room mate would forever be Scirey.

She liked both colors that Shamera showed her.  But her eyes kept looking towards the red dress.  "Well I think a dress for sure.  I appreciate not going for the most crazy colors.  I wouldn't even try to buy clothing for my Father.  Not that he wouldn't appreciate it...I just don't think he has the capacity to actually wear something that isn't in the monochrome scale..." Ciarra muttered with a smile thinking of her Father.  She hadn't heard much from lately...but as far as she knew her Father was still with Claudia.  A woman that was a lot younger than her Father but at the same time the two just seemed to fit.  It didn't look odd to Ciarra on the few occasions she had seen them together.  She was glad that her Father was finally moving on with his life.

Ciarra reached out and took both of the dresses, "I can try them both to start.  What about you though?  Anything particular catch your eye?"  Shamera looked like she could pull off a lot of different outfits.  Ciarra felt pretty concerned about how he body looked considering how much stronger she was than the usual woman her age.  Not many are out in the wilderness and chasing down werewolves.  She found it funny when Shamera made the comparison to her clientele at her night club.  While it was a whole different sort of beast, every job had its own list of difficulties.  Sure technically Ciarra had a high risk job, but that wasn't to say that Shamera didn't have any less risks than her...they were just different.

Shamera looked through a couple nearby racks as she listened to Ciarra talk. She’d noticed her companion eye the red dress more, and decided to look for a couple more in that color. 

“So even if you were to get him something, it’d probably just stay hanging in the closet forever.” Sham deduced.  It was interesting hearing Ciarra talk about her father.  Sham never knew hers, and didn’t really plan on it.  But she’d realized that, obviously, not all men left their wife and child after the birth of said child.  To be honest, she hated her father for that, but she wasn’t about to bring it up when she could tell that despite the monochromatic wardrobe, Ciarra obviously cared about hers.

“I’ve got a couple too!” Shamera said, holding up dress 1 and dress 2.  “If you couldn’t tell, green is my favorite color. I also mainly wear dresses.  Which means heat enforced tights in the winter.  I can’t wait for spring and warmer weather.”
It was true.  There was something about having grown up looking like, and being, a street urchin that caused the girl to grow up into something of a fashionista.  Aside from the blacks and pants worn when sneaking around, normally at work, Sham would be wearing dresses. It helped her out a lot at work.  People seemed to respect a well-dressed woman.  Well, normally.  And if they didn’t, they’d often times get thrown out.

Shamera checked a couple other racks and found a spring dress for herself.  And keeping in mind red for Ciarra, she found another dress for the girl.  “I take it you like red a little better? I noticed you looking more at that one, so how about this? Red, and black!”

“Oh! Maybe this one too?” Sham said as she held up yet this time a  black dress. “Good for luring wild werewolves. And allows movement for fighting?”

She couldn’t help it. Sham realized that she’d needed this more than she thought.  It’d been a while since she’d gotten to be this kind of girly.  Shopping with and kind of for someone else was making her a lot happier than she thought it would.  And it was nice to see that Ciarra was open to trying some dresses, and the colors she was picking.  Maybe Sham could be a fashion consultant if she ever wanted a big change in jobs. She laughed to herself, then looked at Ciarra.

“So, now that we’ve got a couple, care to try them on? I’m sure those will look good on you. I think the try-on rooms are over here.” Sham said, pointing over towards the rooms, then leading over to them. "Also, sorry if I'm a little overwhelming. It's been a while since I've been shopping with anyone, and I'm kind of enjoying it."

Ciarra could only imagine what Vane would do if she actually showed up to hunt a wild werewolf in something like that dress.    Shamera was right though.  It would be easy to move in and combat wouldn't be a problem.  Ciarra had that argument before with the old werewolf hunter.  He had said that the battlefield is no place for fashion.  She had argued that sometimes it wasn't about the fashion but the possibility of distracting some of them.  And she hadn't been wrong, some of the werewolves they had chased had been attracted towards Ciarra specifically because she was a woman.  It might have been easier if she had been used as bait from the beginning.  Not that she particularly liked that train of thought.  Still Sham's suggestion made her smile either way.

"You are not overwhelming at all.  Besides I'm completely enjoying myself too.  It has been such a long time since I've done anything like this.  I know we haven't known each other that long, but I'm glad I met you," Ciarra was glad she could make a new friend.  It wasn't very often she got to come back in London.  She hoped it would be for quite a bit more time.

"Now let's go try out these dresses," Ciarra smiled as she made her way over to the dressing rooms.  She made her way inside and immediately began to strip down.  A loud thud could be hear as she dropped her weighted trench coat on the bench inside.  She had to sit down to take off the weighted boots as well.  After taking them off she felt so light.  How long did she go with having the weights on?  She really hadn't noticed the weights for a while.  Only when she actually thought about the fact that her clothes were weighted.  Now it felt almost weird that she didn't have the weights on.  She had recently been fighting with the weights on.  It was all apart of Vane's master plan to turn Ciarra into a fast, agile and powerful warrior.  Not to mention her stamina was better than it ever had been before. 

Despite the harsh training Ciarra hadn't been aware of her own possibilities as a fighter before.  She had a black belt in martial arts which made her a little different than most witches. Then again that was what she had been aiming for.  To become a fighter just like her Father.  It was obvious over time that she couldn't be that.  Her Father was all about brute strength.  A few spells he used were paramount on that philosophy.  Excidere, was much like a blasting charm but much more reckless in its destruction.  It could be interpreted in two different fashions, the more popular one was to destroy, or demolish.  Meaning whatever was hit by it would ultimately destroy itself in some fashion.  And it had been one of her Father's favorite spells.  To the point that it had become a calling card.

Her Father and his long time partner Marcus Annwyl had long done experiments with new spells.  Such as Coruscus, which was like a short range apparation.  Capable of disappearing and reappearing within a certain distance as long as they could see their intended destination.  It was rather amazing all the things her Father had done as a wizard.  Especially for one that had no idea about his family.  Apparently her Father was a pure blood based simply on his blood.  But there had never been a clue on to where his family was.  There was no doubt that her Father was powerful.

She had been chasing her Father for so long that she had lost herself in the process.  Ciarra had been the president of the dueling club in her time at Hogwarts, and gained recognition in the wizarding world with her capability to not only as a witch but also to handle the organization and promotion of a large scale tournament that the whole wizarding community had been allowed to show and even participate in.  She used that influence to make her way in as an Auror.  Making her first big stride in following her Father's footsteps.  All that time her Father had not shared even a glance at her or told her he was proud.  She went deeper and deeper into it...all to just be recognized by him.  She became more desperate and desperate until finally her Father had seen her.  And he proceeded to apologize to her.  And for the first time the two of them finally grieved for Ciarra's Mother, Ariella. 

Ciarra had to visibly shake off those thoughts before slipping into the first dress.  After looking it over in the mirror in front of her she smiled for a moment and then stepped out of the dressing room.  Hopefully she hadn't been lost in her thoughts for too long.  Shamera must have been changing as well.  "Shamera you made a great choice I think this dress looks absolutely amazing.  What do you think of the style of it though, do you think it fits me?" 

She needed to forget all those other thoughts and just focus on the moment.  A girls day out shopping with plenty of stores and a new friend to spend it with.

Shamera went into the other dressing room and started changing into her first dress.  She couldn’t help but laugh a little bit when she heard Ciarra’s trenchcoat drop with a somewhat loud thud. It would probably be a very different feeling for the other girl without such weight on her.  And also probably pretty weird.  Sham couldn’t imagine how odd that would be. As a bounty hunter, and doing a lot of sneaking around, most of her clothes are rather light. It would be interesting to do some clothing related strength-training though.

As Sham was changing, she thought about how Ciarra talked about her father before. And it how much a father could change how you behave.  For Ciarra, that meant her training and job path. Her father led her along to become a werewolf hunter.  On the reverse, Shamera’s father left her and her mother, and also in a way chose how she grew up. This meant struggling, and she had to use that struggle to learn to survive. And that led her to her training and eventually now being a bounty hunter with a nightclub. Which was rather weird.

She shook off the thought, and finished getting into the dress.  She liked it. Smiling into the mirror, she turned from side to side, examining. Sham heard Ciarra exiting her dressing room and stepped out of hers as well. The dark blue looked good on Ciarra.

“I’m glad you like it! It looks so good on you! I think it’s a good style for you. I can’t wait to see the dark red one on you too. Not too weird being in a dress?” Sham laughed a little and smiled. “What do you think about this one? Granted, I’m always biased towards green, but I like it.”

Sham still couldn’t get over how fun this was.  She hadn’t expected to have such an enjoyable day after a somewhat rocky morning with her mom.  But she was very much glad she decided to stop and talk to Ciarra.

Ciarra grinned, "It is a little weird being in a dress after not wearing one for so long, but that just makes it feel even better."  It was probably hard to fully explain why it would feel weird but Shamera probably got the general idea of Ciarra's life and probably understood better than most girls would.

She took a good look at Shamera, "I love that dress on you.  It is definitely a cute design.  And I can see why you like green.  It looks really good on you.  Alright, I'm going to change into the next dress."  Ciarra disappeared back into the changing room and quickly slipped out of the dress.

Ciarra put on the second dress and relaxed a bit as she looked at the mirror that was inside the changing room.  She really liked the design of this and it was less red and more maroon in color.  Still Ciarra couldn't help but remember one of her friends she had when she was in Hogwarts.  A Gryffindor girl who when they first met felt like she was a fake.  Someone that was all appearances and only cared about how she looked.  That was until she stumbled upon a secret about the girl's life.  Ciarra silently hoped that the girl was doing okay.

She stepped out of the changing room once again and twirled around to show off.  "I think I like this one even more," she smiled.

“I figured. But really, you look great.” Sham said.

She did a last twirl, then returned to her dressing room when Ciarra went into hers. She looked at the two dresses she had left, and decided to try on the fancy springy dress.  As Shamera was changing, she thought more on how she could relate to Ciarra.  Granted, her entire life doesn’t revolve around something so dangerous.  And Sham’s lucky to have the Underground to help even it out.  Just being a bounty hunter and constantly on runs, investigating people, and whatnot. That would be a very different lifestyle. And Sham was glad she had that balance.

This dress was also a good fit. There was something about the pattern she really liked.  It seemed a little like a dragon, or a snake, making it’s way through a forrest. Then again, Ciarra had made it out of the dressing room before Sham. She stepped out and saw Ciarra mid-twirl. The other girl looked rather happy. Which was decidedly a better look than when Sham first saw her.

“Ooooh, I agree! That’s also a good color on you.  And nice and light.” Sham did a twirl of her own. “I adore this dress. Definitely needed in my wardrobe, I think.”

For a moment, Sham wondered what it would be like to leave the bounty hunting part of her life behind. It might be a bit difficult because she did have some rather good clients.  Perhaps only do jobs for them, and no new clients? The Underground brought in a fair amount of business.  But then again, there was something about the thrill of the hunt that Sham couldn’t say no to. It would be hard to leave that behind.  Something about doing it for so long, since she was a kid really, that made it so difficult.

Shamera shook that off and smiled. “So, I definitely think you should get that one. Now, onto the next dress?”

She stepped back into the dressing room and started to change into her last dress.

Ciarra was in the dressing room and switching out to the next dress.  It became more obvious to her as the time went by that this had been something she really needed.  Not because of it just being downtime and enjoying herself, although it was that as well.  She needed to feel like a woman again, to maybe be seen as more than just a fighter.  Although a warrior was very much apart of her identity.  She was dueling club president in her time at Hogwarts...was high enough in her marks to get a good recommendation to become an Auror.  Things hadn't worked that way obviously.

She had been a girl lost in the woods, trying to find who she was.  No, she was still that girl even now.  Her life had been spent trying to get her Father to see her...to acknowledge her in some fashion, only thinking about what she needed and wanted.  Ciarra had no idea how hard life had been for her Father, and as much as she wanted to angry at him, or even be resentful...she couldn't be.  She knew in some fashion the fact that her Mother's killer had never been caught probably will always weigh heavily on her Fathers mind.  And Ciarra looked a lot like her Mother.  She knew that much.

The next dress was red and black.  It was a unique pattern but Ciarra felt it went with her pretty well.  Maybe it was because of her black hair or dark makeup.  Either way when she stepped back out of the changing room to show Shamera she couldn't help but smile.  Maybe this would be a more regular day thing if her Mother hadn't died.  Everything changed because of that one event, and neither Ciarra or her Father had dealt with it well.  But now...now was different.  Ciarra may be lost trying to find herself but she was more confident and more sure she was going in the right direction.

"So I think red could possibly be my color," Ciarra laughed.  "What do you think?"