"Who's Dominique?"
"The designer," Donya said. "Say hello, Dominique."
Arezoo had a moment of panic as Dominique lifted his head, but Drova was one step ahead of them and slapped some sort of filter over her image that made her look human.
Dominique leaned into the frame with a hand wave. "Pleasure."
"Excellent work," Drova said, which was about as effusive as she got with strangers. "If I ever decide to get married, which is not likely, I'll commission a dress from you."
"Much appreciated." Dominique was already back down and not looking at the screen.
"Send me pictures," Drova said. "Multiple angles."
"I will when the dress is ready."
"I want pictures now," Drova insisted. "I don't care if it's a bit too long or too loose."
"I'm on it." Donya grinned. "For my spreadsheet."
Arezoo caught her mother watching the exchange with a bemused expression. Her friendship with Drova seemed strange to her, but she no longer gave Arezoo a hard time over it. After all, they were living in an integrated village where immortals, humans, and Kra-ell coexisted not only in peace but also with a mutual defense agreement.
"You're coming to the wedding, right?" Arezoo asked even though Drova had already said she would.
It wasn't easy to get from Safe Harbor back to California, and it might not be up to Drova. The island didn't have commercial flights, so the only way out was catching a ride with one of the supply planes.
"Of course. I wouldn't miss it."
"How are you getting here?" Arezoo asked.
"I'll sneak onto one of the supply transport planes."
Arezoo's mother gasped. "Don't you dare, young lady."
Drova blinked at the screen. "Did your mother just call me 'young lady'?"
"She calls everyone that when she's angry or worried."
"I'm not angry, and I'm not worried," Soraya said. "Sneaking onto planes is dangerous and foolish. You'll ask properly for transport, like a civilized person."
"I'm not sure I qualify as civilized," Drova said. "Or a lady, for that matter."
"Speaking of which." Laleh leaned into the frame. "Are you going to wear your bridesmaid dress?"
Drova paled, which looked comical on her Kra-ell face. "Do I have to?"
"Yes, you do," Donya said.
"Can it be black?"
Arezoo shook her head. "Sorry. It's a wedding, not a funeral. The bridesmaids' dresses are in several pastel colors."
Drova made a gagging sound. "I'm sorry, Arezoo, but I won't be coming to your wedding. I just found out that there will be no flights leaving the island for the next two weeks."
"Oh, stop it. Yours is red. You'll look good in it."
Drova released a relieved breath. "You said pastels."
"It's a soft red."
