Mistborn Trilogy - Brandon Sanderson [429]
“What about a black?” Vin asked.
“Heavens, no,” Tindwyl said. “Absolutely no more black or gray for you, child.”
“What about this one, then?” Vin asked, pulling out a royal blue swatch. It was nearly the shade she’d worn the first night she’d met Elend, so long ago.
“Ah, yes,” the dressmaker said. “That would look wonderful against that light skin and dark hair. Hum, yes. Now, we’ll have to pick a style. You need this by tomorrow evening, the Terriswoman said?”
Vin nodded.
“Ah, then. We’ll have to modify one of the stock dresses, but I think I have one in this color. We’ll have to take it in quite a bit, but we can work through the night for a beauty like yourself, can’t we, lad? Now, as for the style…”
“This is fine, I guess,” Vin said, looking down. The gown was the standard cut of those she’d worn at previous balls.
“Well, we’re not looking for ‘fine,’ now, are we?” the dressmaker said with a smile.
“What if we removed some of the pettiskirts?” Tindwyl said, pulling at the sides of Vin’s dress. “And perhaps raised the hem just a bit, so that she could move more freely?”
Vin paused. “You could do that?”
“Of course,” the dressmaker said. “The lad says thinner skirts are more popular to the south, though they tend to lag in fashion a bit behind Luthadel.” He paused. “Though, I don’t know that Luthadel even really has a fashion anymore….”
“Make cuffs of the sleeves wide,” Tindwyl said. “And sew a couple of pockets into them for certain personal items.”
The old man nodded as his quiet assistant scribbled down the suggestion.
“The chest and waist can be tight,” Tindwyl continued, “but not restrictive. Lady Vin needs to be able to move freely.”
The old man paused. “Lady Vin?” he asked. He looked a little closer at Vin, squinting, then turned to his assistant. The boy nodded quietly.
“I see…” the man said, paling, hand shaking just a little bit more. He placed it on the top of his cane, as if to give himself a little more stability. “I’m…I’m sorry if I offended you, my lady. I didn’t know.”
Vin flushed again. Another reason why I shouldn’t go shopping. “No,” she said, reassuring the man. “It’s all right. You haven’t offended me.”
He relaxed slightly, and Vin noticed Spook strolling over.
“Looks like we’ve been found,” Spook said, nodding to the front windows.
Vin glanced past dressing dummies and bales of cloth to see a crowd gathering outside. Tindwyl watched Vin with curiosity.
Spook shook his head. “Why do you get to be so popular?”
“I killed their god,” Vin said quietly, ducking around a dressing dummy, hiding from the dozens of peeking eyes.
“I helped too,” Spook said. “I even got my nickname from Kelsier himself! But nobody cares about poor little Spook.”
Vin scanned the room for windows. There’s got to be a back door. Of course, there might be people in the alley.
“What are you doing?” Tindwyl asked.
“I have to go,” Vin said. “Get away from them.”
“Why don’t you go out and talk to them?” Tindwyl asked. “They’re obviously very interested in seeing you.”
Allrianne emerged from a dressing room—wearing a gown of yellow and blue—and twirled dramatically. She was obviously put out when she didn’t even get Spook’s attention.
“I’m not going out there,” Vin said. “Why would I want to do something like that?”
“They need hope,” Tindwyl said. “Hope you can give them.”
“A false hope,” Vin said. “I’d only encourage them to think of me as some object of worship.”
“That’s not true,” Allrianne said suddenly, walking forward, looking out the windows without the least bit of embarrassment. “Hiding in corners, wearing strange clothing, and being mysterious—that’s what has gotten you this amazing reputation. If people knew how ordinary you were, they wouldn’t be so crazy to get a look at you.” She paused, then looked back. “I…uh, didn’t mean that like I think it sounded.”
Vin flushed. “I’m not Kelsier, Tindwyl. I don’t want people to worship me. I just want to be left alone.”
“Some people don’t have that choice, child,” Tindwyl said. “You struck down the Lord Ruler.