“You’re not going to try, are you?” Altair was studying her expression. “You’re thinking about that girl again.”

            She wasn’t sure if she liked him reading her that easily. “I may have been.”

            “Do you plan to just storm in and steal her from him?”

            “I’ll be more diplomatic then that.”

            “By asking him to buy her?” he snorted. “I’m not sure how well that will go over.”

            “We’ll see.”

            “We will,” agreed Altair. “Hopefully he won’t be too offended.”

            “It’s just too bad if he is.”

            “I’m coming with you.”

            “Of course you are.” She’d meant it to come out weary and sarcastic, but ended up sounding more relieved than anything. She could use all the help she could get.

Apparently being featured in “Witches”, even one small photograph and a sentence or two in the local gossip section, made the shop seem a great deal more appealing, because in the coming week they had more people in than ever before. It was a different crowd. They came in tight skirts and knee high leather boots, curled hair and lipstick, strategically ripped, acid washed jeans and belly shirts. The shop smelled of perfume and hairspray. Alice found herself growing weary of the women as they came in, since every one of them tried to act as if they’d known her forever.  They attempted to gossip about how the party had been, and asked when the next one was. Several of them asked what Ambrose was like, and one even begged her to introduce her, saying she felt they were meant to be together.  Alice had to eventually usher that one out the door with a little magical nudge when she wouldn’t leave.

“This is crazy.”

            “She certainly was,” Azura muttered, watching the woman to make sure she was really leaving.

            “Her too, but I mean the whole thing. All these women are coming in, acting so strange. I don’t know what to do with them. They all want me to be their best friend and introduce them to him, even if the last one was the only one who came straight out and said it.”

            Azura rolled her eyes. “Honestly, if I wasn’t one myself, I would think women were the silliest creatures on earth.”

            “Well those weren’t a very good example,” Alice said indignantly.

            Azura laughed. “True. That was the type that reads “Witches” religiously.”

            “Yuck.”

            The bell tinkled and Alice braced herself. She allowed herself a sigh of relief when she saw it was just Lacy and Tricia.

“Hi girls.”

            “Hey Alice, hey Azura.” Lacy greeted them, and Tricia waved as she bounced in the door behind her friend.

            “We were having coffee across the street,” Tricia told them. “Boy is there a lot of blonde women coming in here.” Alice eyed Tricia’s hair pointedly, but the girl didn’t seem to notice.

            “What do they all want?”

            “They want to be my best friend,” Alice grumbled. “It’s exhausting.”

            “Those vultures.” Tricia wrinkled her nose. “They’re just circling the scent of your fame, hoping to get something tasty off you.”

            Azura bit her lip, obviously trying to keep from smiling. “Tricia that was quite eloquent of you.”

            “Thanks, but it’s true,” she said matter-of-factly.

Alice was tempted to make a snarky remark about Vultures chasing off other Vultures, but restrained herself admirably.  She knew that Tricia was superficial and a little silly, but she really did seem to think of Alice as her friend. Besides, the dumb blonde thing was sort of endearing…..sometimes.

            “What was your ridiculous gift of today?” Lacy wanted to know.

Alice pointed at the desk. “Leather journal.  It’s actually quite beautiful.”

            Lacy shrugged. “You might as well use something like that. It’s not like it’s a diamond necklace.”

            “Or a fur cape,” Tricia added.

            “No kidding,” she muttered. 

            “Mind if I look at it?” Lacy asked.

            “Knock yourself out.”

            The red head walked over to the desk, her soft soled shoes making no noise. Tricia clacked over to the shelves and Alice winced as she began pawing through the potions, making the bottles tinkle noisily as they knocked into one another.  Azura was at the desk looking over the sales reports and she gave Lacy a smile as the Harpy picked up the journal and flipped through it. “Beautiful, is it not?”

            “It is. I sort of have a thing for old books. This one looks genuine; they don’t use this kind of type anymore…probably worth a good deal.”

            Alice glanced over, surprised at the intense note in Lacy’s voice.  The Harpy woman clearly had a passion for old volumes. She was holding the leather journal as if it were very precious, flipping through the pages gently. She gasped as something dropped out of the pages.

“Oh, I’ve found something.”

            A brown envelope lay on the desk, sealed with red wax.  Alice walked over and picked it up, handling it carefully. “Does this look old, too?”

            “No,” Lacy said with certainly, “That’s just meant to look old.”

            “I bet it’s from Ambrose.” Alice slid her finger under the wax, opening the envelope. She felt leaden butterflies in her stomach, dreading the contents, but knowing it had been inevitable.

            “An invitation no doubt,” Azura said what they were all thinking.

            “He’s making sure I opened that book,” Alice said crossly. “He wants to know how I’m responding to the gifts.” She reached in and slid a card out of the envelope.  On the front was a hand drawn portrait of a lady and a man dressed in old fashioned clothing, she in a feathered hat and corset, he a suit and top hat and brandishing a cane. The rolling cursive script on the front was in silver, and stated:  You are cordially invited!

Alice opened the card and read it out loud.

“Dear Alice and friends,

You are cordially invited to the party of Mr. Alexie Ambrose at 517 Cherry Drive, NY.   Please attend the night of the 21st on the fourth month at the ninth hour of the evening.  Dress is formal Victorian.”

            “A costume party!” Tricia crowed. “How exciting!”

            “Yes, everything is very exciting.”  Lacy’s cross retort made Alice smile a little.  Apparently she wasn’t the only one that found the girl’s enthusiasm a bit irritating. 

            “It’s nearly a month from now,” Azura mused. “At least that gives us time to get something together. I don’t think I have any Victorian ball gowns floating around my wardrobe.”

            “Me either,” Alice frowned. “Does that mean we have to wear corsets? I don’t fancy wedging myself into one of those.”

            Azura laughed. “No one will ever know you don’t have one on. In the1800’s the ladies actually wore them properly, underneath the dress.”

            Alice found herself wondering if Azura had been around for that, but didn’t ask since Lacy and Tricia were right there. She doubted the woman would thank her for bringing up her age in front of the others.

            “This picture isn’t very accurate then.” Lacy was examining the invitation, no doubt looking at the painted woman leaning forward in her corset, displaying her ample cleavage.

            “I don’t think the artist was particularly concerned with authenticity.”  The older woman snorted.

            “Where will I get a dress like this?” Alice grumbled. “It’s going to be expensive.”

            “That’s what magic is for,” Tricia said.

            “What? You can magic yourself up a dress?” Alice asked in astonishment.

            “No - you use a glamour.”

            She looked at Tricia in surprise.  The girl was sometimes so asinine and silly that she had entirely forgotten she was a Witch.

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