Something Quite Peculiar - Chapter 36

Chapter Thirty-Six: Arachne

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Over the weekend, Rowan had moved the remains of her dress downstairs to the large and rarely used, mostly for when someone important came to visit, table in the front room. She had left very little of the original dress intact, mostly the basic structure of the bodice that she was worried she wouldn't be able to reconstruct.

She had painstakingly removed every rhinestone without damaging the fabric underneath. She had pricked her fingers approximately two thousand times while pinning various scraps together in an attempt to re-create something similar to the sketch she had put together.

When her mother had asked her about the sewing machine set-up and why she had torn apart a perfectly good dress, Rowan had simply stated that she had been overcome by the intense need to start a sewing project.

It was a lot easier to believe than being invited to a ball that Santa Claus was throwing. Apparently every few months Rowan dove into a sewing project anyway and so Dot was unfazed. Jack still took note of Rowan's discomfort, however, as soon as she insisted to her mother that the dress wasn't for anything in particular.

This is what Rowan was reflecting on as she and Jack sat on the love seat, not too far away from the sewing machine, but far enough. It was mid-morning and she had already been sewing to the point where she needed a break. Jack noticed that she swore an awful lot more when she was sewing than when she was writing or drawing.

"I just, I talk to her about everything, and I can't talk to her about any of this, it's the same with Shirley. She keeps texting me wanting to know how things are going with 'Jack Overland' and I don't know what to say," Rowan said.

"Tell her the truth, you've been engaging in sloppy make-outs with him for the past few nights. But significantly less sloppy make-outs because you started this sewing project," Jack teased. The new moon had provided the Shadow People as a distraction, and immediately after, the New Year's Ball had provided the need for a dress as one.

One uninterrupted night might be nice.

"I'm just waiting for her to accuse me of making you up. Like, 'Oh, it's so sad, Rowan made up an imaginary boyfriend.' I mean, she keeps asking for a picture and I can't even take one of you, can I?"

"You could, but it would be kind of like those photos of ghosts, you know? Some people might see something there, others will say it's a trick of the light, and people who actually believe in me would see, well, me."

"It's all just… complicated," she sighed.

"Yeah, I know, but I mean, there's advantages to it, too, I'm sure your parents wouldn't be so crazy about you having a boy stay in your room every single night," he said.

"No, no, definitely not, but I still wish you could meet them. Like, really meet them," Rowan said, managing a small smile. "I think they'd like you."

"You'd want me to meet your parents?" he said, raising a brow but smiling as well.

"Yeah, I mean, I'd love for you to be able to meet them and my friends and just… I wish you didn't have to be part of this entirely separate world," she said with a small shrug, her smile fading slightly.

"You know what's really ridiculous?" he said.

"You?" she replied.

"Besides that."

"Me?"

"Besides that."

"What?"

"When we first met, you went from being afraid of me to being angry at me and tased me, and now you want me to meet your parents and miss me when I'm gone," he said with a smirk.

"So you grew on me, you still deserved that," she said, smile creeping back to her face. Jack never liked when it was gone for long.

"It was only a matter of time until my charm won you over," Jack shrugged.

"Right, and what's your excuse for sticking around after I tased you?"

"The stories, we've been over this," he laughed, leaning in a bit closer. "But you'd be surprised at what a pretty girl can get away with."

"The same could be said for cute boys," she mumbled, leaning in as well. Just as their lips were about to make contact, the doorbell rang. Jack sighed dramatically as Rowan pulled away and got up from the couch, walking toward the front door.

Shadow People, sewing projects, and now doorbells had all interrupted his attempts to enjoy his new girlfriend. It was as though the universe was just teasing him now, after two hundred and fifty years. He stood and walked to the door in time for her to hand the mail carrier back the electronic contraption that had collected her signature. She was then handed a fairly large package and bid a Happy Holidays by the carrier.

"Lock that, will you?" Rowan asked Jack as she leaned against the door in order to close it before taking the box to the table and setting it down. He did as she asked before wandering back to where she stood. "I wonder what Uncle Tom sent, his packages aren't usually so heavy."

"You have an Uncle Tom? Does he own a cabin?" Jack asked, joking.

"No, but he is my dad's older brother, which makes him…" Rowan said, trailing off as though to allow Jack to figure it out for himself. His confusion lasted only as long as it took for him to glance down at the return address.

"Tom Sawyer? Your uncle is Tom Sawyer? Why would your grandparents do that?" Jack said.

"The story goes that they named him after my grandma's grandfather and didn't realize what they did until someone asked if they named him that on purpose," Rowan said with a slight roll of the eye. "It gets worse, though."

"How can it get worse?"

"He runs a small business for a living. A small, home painting business."

Jack simply stared at Rowan in stunned silence for a moment. "So, people pay Tom Sawyer to paint their house."

"Technically they pay Tom Sawyer to pay other people to paint their house," Rowan said.

"Why would they do that?"

"Because no one reads anymore, Jack," she said with a small laugh. "Every now and again he gets a client that sees the reference and they think it's funny."

"Tom Sawyer, that's awful, at least they didn't name your dad, 'Sid'," he said.

"Nah, he lucked out. Though he was pretty disappointed when he realized he missed the opportunity to name me 'Veronica,'" she shrugged.

"I like your name, lack of cult movie references and all," Jack said. "It suits you."

"Well, thanks. You are just as much trouble as the name 'Jack' implies, but I guess that means it suits you."

"Have I at least proven that you can trust a Jack or are you just going to be suspicious of all of us?" he asked, rolling his eyes.

"Who says I trust you?" she smiled.

"Seriously? You did."

"Okay, okay, so there's one Jack on the long list," she said. "Like any of the other ones matter, right?"

"True," he said, smug. "But before the doorbell rang-"

"Right, right, we were right about here?" Rowan said, leaning in just close enough to tease at a possible kiss, her breath warm against his mouth. He tilted his head and leaned in as well.

And then there was a knock, this time on the window.

"Seriously?" Jack mumbled as Rowan turned to see who could possibly be knocking. When he glanced up, he found Tooth at the window, smiling sheepishly as she waved, a blonde woman standing nearby.

"What's Tooth doing here?" Rowan asked.

"No idea, but Erato's with her, must be important," Jack sighed. Rowan walked to the front door and unlocked it before pulling it open.

"Are your parents around?" Tooth asked. "Should we meet you upstairs?"

"No, no, they both left for the day," Rowan said, stepping aside so that the fairy could enter. Erato followed, lingering close as Rowan closed the door behind her.

"Hello, Rowan, my name is Erato," said the tall woman with a warm smile. Her moonbeam, back now that the new moon had passed, trailed her nearby.

"Love poetry, right?" Rowan asked, her nerves clear in her voice.

"And erotic poetry, yes, very good," Erato said. "It's so nice to finally meet you."

"Oh, you too," Rowan said, reaching out her hand to shake Erato's. Erato immediately shook her head in protest.

"You are a Mortal Muse; that makes you my sister, and we do not shake hands," the Muse said, immediately pulling Rowan into her arms. The girl was still for a moment, clearly taken by surprise before gently hugging Erato back.

"How are things going here, Jack?" Tooth asked as Erato released Rowan from her grasp.

"Pretty well," he said, smiling nervously. It was the first time he'd seen Tooth since she admitted to having feelings for him. And now here she was and here Rowan was… this had the potential to be very uncomfortable.

"Good, I'm glad. And I'm happy to hear that you two worked things out," Tooth said sincerely, easing Jack's mind if only a little.

"Yeah, I guess Thalia told you?"

"She told all of us. In rhyme," Erato said with a short nod. The single mini fairy that had been flying near Tooth approached Rowan and she cringed, backing away and shielding her face with her arm.

"Oh, don't worry! I only brought Baby Tooth because I knew she'd behave," Tooth assured Rowan, who slowly lowered her arm to watch the fairy suspiciously. Jack walked over and extended his hand, which Baby Tooth happily landed on.

"Hmm," Rowan said, curiosity taking over as she examined the small fairy. "They're cute when they're not prodding at you. Do they all have two different colored eyes?"

"No, she's the only one with heterochromia. I've never been able to figure that out," Tooth said.

"Genetics are strange, strange things. Particularly when magic interferes," Erato said. She pointed to her own fuchsia eyes. "My eyes weren't this color when I was alive, I'm not sure why Apollo made that change."

Rowan set her hand beside Jack's and Baby Tooth climbed from one to the other, smiling pleasantly as Rowan took a closer look at her.

"My eyes changed too," Jack commented. "Guess I never thought much about it."

"Must have worked out better for our design," Erato shrugged.

"What brings you guys by?" Rowan asked, eyes still fixed on Baby Tooth, who turned so that Rowan could better see her wings.

"Yeah, is something wrong?" Jack said.

"No-" Tooth started.

"Yes, something is wrong," Erato said, walking around Jack, watching him critically. Jack was reminded once more of his first meeting with Rowan, how she had circled him to take in every small detail. "You're not wearing this to the first New Year's Eve Ball to happen in centuries."

"We're on our way to see Arachne, Jack, we thought we'd stop by and ask you to come along," Tooth said.

"Who is Arachne?" Jack asked.

"The best seamstress, mortal or immortal, this world has ever seen! Do you think that these flashy outfits just happen?" Erato said, spreading her arms to draw attention to her outfit, which truly didn't need the added help. The corset she wore served only to exaggerate her hourglass figure, the skirt was lined with ruffles. She was like a burlesque star, glamorous and seductive.

"I never gave it that much thought," Jack said. "No, wait, I never gave it any thought."

"Which is why you need Arachne," Erato said.

"You're welcome to come too, Rowan," Tooth said.

"Oh, I'm already working on something as far as what I'm going to wear goes," Rowan said, gesturing to the sewing machine setup with her free hand. Tooth and Erato looked over and seemed a bit puzzled at the scraps of fabric haphazardly thrown about. "It's, uh, still in the beginning stages."

"Can I see the sketch?" Erato said, pointing to the sketchbook on the table. Rowan nodded and the woman walked over to the book to take a better look.

"Do you want to come along anyway?" Tooth asked. "It's very interesting to see her work."

"Oh, no, that's okay, I don't want to disappear too much or my parents will start getting suspicious. Plus, I wanted to work on another project today," Rowan said.

"What other project?" Jack asked.

"Secret project," she replied.

"We're much too early in this relationship to be having secrets," Jack sighed.

"Women need their secrets, Jack," Erato said, setting the sketch back on the table. "I like your sketch, I'm really looking forward to seeing the dress when it's done."

"Thank you," Rowan said. "But yeah, as much as I'd hate for you to tear him away from me…"

"Oh, we'll bring him back by sundown, isn't he supposed to be spreading winter around during daylight anyway?" Tooth said.

"Well, we had coffee and then I kind of… didn't leave," Jack said hesitantly. Yeah, he'd stuck around longer today, but it was one day. And he had been hoping to spend time with Rowan without interruptions since her parents were gone.

This was clearly not going to happen.

"He's like a cat, you feed it once and it never goes away," Rowan said, shoving him playfully with her free hand.

"Yeah I'm not here saving your life or anything," he said, shoving her back.

"Coffee will stain your teeth," Tooth said, wincing slightly.

"I'm sure he's still brushing and flossing and all that," Erato said. "And as fun it is to make fun of Jack and question why he's here and not making it snow somewhere … we need to go see Arachne."

"Right, right, so are you coming, Jack?" Tooth asked.

"Do I have a choice?" he asked.

"Of course," Tooth said.

"Not really," Erato said with a smile.

"I can't… pay her or anything," he said. Being a Guardian didn't really pay well. Well, unless you were Tooth and hand your hands on some in-demand stocks, he supposed.

"North took care of it, and she doesn't want you embarrassing the Mortal Muse, so, she probably would've done it for free anyway," Erato said. "She has a soft spot for us."

"North took care of it?" Jack repeated, clearly confused. How did he take care of it? When did he have time? Christmas Eve was in a week!

"Yes, now come on, she's very busy," said Erato.

"Right, right… I'll um, I guess I'll see you later, Rowan," Jack said.

"Have fun at your fitting," Rowan said in a sing-song voice as Baby Tooth flew from her hand and rejoined Tooth.

"I'm sure it'll be just great," Jack sighed.

"It'll be fine, she works fast, she just needs measurements and a chance to run some ideas by us, then we can leave," Tooth said, opening Rowan's front door again, where the dream cloud Erato would be taking was waiting for them.

"So nice meeting you, we'll talk more at the ball if we don't see each other again before that," Erato said, pulling Rowan into a brief hug once more. "And uh, I saw on your sketch that you were thinking of adding a slit to the dress, I think you should. And rethink the straps. Go all out, what are you afraid of? And lastly…"

Erato leaned in and whispered into Rowan's ear, leaving Jack and Tooth exchanging confused looks as Rowan's eyes widened and her cheeks turned red.

"Okay? You're gonna be fine," Erato said with a smile and she leaned away from the girl, a hand on either one of her shoulders.

"Thanks?" Rowan said, furrowing her brow. Erato stepped away and gracefully settled herself atop the dream cloud, followed quickly by Tooth.

"What did she tell you?" Jack muttered as Rowan walked to the front door to see them out.

"I'll, uh, tell you later," Rowan said. "See you tonight."

"See you," Jack said, quickly pecking her on the lips as soon as he was certain both Tooth and Erato had their backs to them.

"Let's head out!" Tooth said, gesturing Jack to follow as she and Erato started off, moonbeam following closely. Jack was quick to catch up with them, the wind picking up behind him and the sky quickly turning gray.

"A blizzard now?" Erato groaned as it began to snow.

"You guys said I needed to be spreading winter!" Jack laughed as the distance between them and the Sawyer residence grew and grew.

---

When they finally landed, it was outside a secluded cottage of odd design. It was shaped somewhat like a teardrop, but with twisting spines wrapped gracefully around it like a web. It was incredibly easy to miss, tucked away in the corner of a canyon somewhere forbidding.

"Now, just remember, try not to stare," Tooth said to Jack as they approached. Erato stepped off the dream cloud and knocked shortly on the door. "She's a… little shocking at first."

"I don't really think that anything can shock me at this point," Jack said. He was over three centuries old, after all. One would assume he'd seen basically everything.

"If you say so," Tooth said with a small smile after exchanging glances with Baby Tooth. "Just try not to stare."

The door to the cabin opened but slightly, as though whoever was inside was cautiously peeking out.

"Hi, Arachne," Erato smiled. The door opened the rest of the way and in a flash, Erato was pulled inside, accompanied by an excited squeal. The moonbeam darted in after the Muse.

"Era! I've been waiting for you, I have ideas!"

"Come on," Tooth said, flying through the door. Another excited squeal followed, making Jack unsure if he wanted to enter the cottage.

"Toothiana! Oh, it's been too long, my dear, I know it's easier to move around in just your feathers but oh, how I love designing for you!"

Jack hesitantly walked to the doorway and lingered there, glancing inside. The room was filled with rolls of fabric, sketches, partially-completed designs, and dress forms. There were cabinets with intricate designs carved into the wood, and the top of a spiral staircase that lead down below.

But none of this commanded as much attention as the woman whose arms were securely around Tooth in a friendly embrace.

All six of her arms.

Jack was beginning to realize why Tooth had told him not to stare. The woman turned from Tooth, spying him in her doorway and approached him, watching him with critical eyes.

Eight critical eyes.

Her eyes were all a shining, inky black, as though the pupil had expanded across the entire orb. The two largest ones were where any person's eyes would be, and the other six were in sets of three along the upper edge of the main two. Each eye was situated behind its own round, heavily framed lens on her trendy, custom glasses.

Her hair was fiery red. The bangs were cut bluntly and the rest was pulled back. When she finally smiled, despite his staring, her teeth were pointed.

"Jack Frost," she said. "Don't just stand there, boy, come in," she said, gesturing to the inside of her cottage with her three left hands.

"Right," Jack said, nodding slightly as he cautiously stepped inside.

"My name is Arachne," she said, catching up to him and offering her one of her three right hands to shake. He hesitated slightly before shaking her hand. "I hear you need a tux."

"So I'm told," he said.

"Hmm," was all Arachne said before turning around and walking away from Jack. She began to sort through several drawers, arms and hands stretching every which way. Jack couldn't help but watch the back of her dress, as each of six scapulas moved beneath the fabric. Erato nudged him gently with her elbow and gave him a look as though to tell him to stop staring. "Have your measurements changed any, ladies?"

"Mine are the same," Erato said.

"Mine too," Tooth said.

"Good, good," Arachne said, turning back around and quickly approaching Jack, who took a step back instinctively.

"Arms out, hold still," she said, hastily pulling a strip of measuring tape around his waist.

"Whoa, what-" Jack started as the redhead leaned forward to examine the tape and quickly scribbled the number on a clipboard with two of her hands that were not currently occupied with measuring tape.

"Hold still," she said again, using her two remaining hands to steady his arms and keep them spread to his sides. Erato and Tooth could be heard trying not to laugh at him in the background.

"You are very skinny," she mumbled, sliding the tape around his throat.

"Thank… you?" he said.

"It's not a compliment, it's an observation," Arachne said, never meeting his eye but simply keeping close attention to her work. "You don't have to be thin to look good in clothes, you just need the right clothes, and that is where I come in, stand up straight."

Jack was suddenly being pushed back against the nearby wall. "Stand up straight," she said again and he sighed deeply before complying. She examined something on the wall before scribbling more onto her clipboard. Jack turned his head to the wall, curious about what she'd been looking at and found a ruler situated there. Arachne began measuring from his hip down.

"Your calves are huge, it doesn't make any sense," she mumbled.

"I can hear you," he said.

"Well it's not as though it's a secret," Arachne said. "And it isn't an insult, it's an observation."

"You'll learn quickly that most everything Arachne says is an observation," Erato laughed. "You do have chicken legs, though, like Clio."

"Clio's calves aren't so large," Arachne said, finally stepping away from Jack and sliding her measuring tape around the back of her neck like an unfastened scarf for safe keeping. "But now I have all your measurements, on to the fun part, the design."

"Oh, before we get to that, will you show me what you've got started for Cupid?" Erato asked.

"He told me not to let you see," Arachne said with a small smile. "He said you'd try to make changes he didn't approve of."

"I won't change anything, I just want to see," Erato said with a pout.

"Cupid is one of my best clients, always such a fun challenge, what with his need for clothing to account for his wings and all. I'd hate to go behind his back like this," Arachne sighed, though the tone in her last statement was clearly sarcastic. She pushed open the nearby door and disappeared inside the next room for a moment, shuffling around before pushing out a covered dress form. She pulled the cover away to reveal an entirely black tux, with a red waistcoat and tie. The waistcoat was subtly embroidered with what seemed to be a cosmos theme. Stars, the sun, and the moon were all present, but easy to miss unless one was really looking for them.

"Black, it's always black with him," Erato said, pulling off one of her long gloves so that she could reach forward to properly feel the fabric of the jacket. "You'd think it was for Mel."

"She was in yesterday, she and that Boogeyman," Arachne said. "I always have such fun with dark fashion. And the black suits Cupid, no pun intended. It's… mysterious."

"Yes, well I like the red," Erato said, lightly tracing one of the designs on the waistcoat. "You do beautiful work, as always."

"No unauthorized changes?" Arachne asked. Erato shook her head. "Very good."

Stepping away from Cupid's suit, Arachne shuffled through her drawers again, pulling out a pad of paper and flipping through several pages before gesturing for the others to join her. Erato and Tooth stood on either side of the woman and Jack lingered close, but not too close. He still wasn't so sure about this entire situation. If someone had told him a year ago that he'd be getting fitted for a custom suit, created by a woman that was more spider than woman…

Baby Tooth noticed his distance and fluttered over to his place, settling herself down on his shoulder. The two exchanged smiles as Tooth and Erato examined the sketches that Arachne already had prepared.

"I love the challenge that comes with designing for you," Arachne said to Tooth, eyes still fixed on the page. "Because you don't want to take away from your natural beauty, all those wonderful feathers…"

"It's the one night a year I dress up," Tooth smiled.

Curiously, Jack found himself hovering a few inches above the ground in order to get a better look at the page the women were fussing over. It featured several simple sketches of Tooth, each wearing a different design, though all of them reminded him somewhat of saris.

"I like the pink one," Tooth and Erato each said at once.

"That one was my favorite, too," Arachne said, taking a nearby pencil and circling the design in question. She flipped through a few more pages, each consisting of designs for other mythical beings. Jack recognized Clio and Urania, as well as the leprechaun and several other beings before she stopped at a page with designs intended for Erato. They were all flashy, all various shades of red and deep purple. Plunging necklines, shimmering sequins, varying hemlines.

"Not this one," Erato said, pointing to a sketch featuring a slit in a long skirt and a single shoulder strap. "The Mortal Muse is working on something smilar."

"Oh, so I won't be designing for her?" Arachne said, taken by surprise. Jack could swear she seemed almost insulted.

"She didn't know you were an option when she began her dress," Tooth said. "Remember, she's still learning about our world."

"And she's learning it largely from Jack, so," Erato said with a shrug.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jack said, taking his turn to be insulted, still hovering a few inches above the ground.

"Just that you probably aren't filling her in on mythical fashion designers?" Erato said, cocking a brow at the boy. "So touchy, I'm not Melpomene."

"Oh, this is the same Jack?" Arachne said, glancing his way as well. "I can see that."

"Literally the last thing I want to talk about right now," Jack sighed.

"If half of what I've heard is true, I'm not surprised," Arachne said.

"Is there anyone that hasn't been filled in on this?" he mumbled rhetorically.

"North. And maybe Aster, but I wouldn't put it past Terpsichore or Euterpe to tell him… and he has been spending all his time with Urania and Clio for the past week so he could have been filled in. Actually, yes, it's probably just North, Tsar Lunar definitely knows," Erato said.

"Oh, good," Jack said sarcastically.

"But we weren't going to talk about this," Tooth said, pointing to the page. "I like the one with the boa."

"Oh, I do too, I think I'll pick that one, can you throw a bit more red in?" Erato said, drawing Arachne's attention back to the page. Tooth offered Jack a soft smile, which he managed to return, thankful that she had forced a change in subject. He tried to remain composed, to hide just how much the fact that Bunny probably knew about what had happened bothered him.

Not to mention, the fact that Erato hadn't told North surprised him. He was still unsure how to feel about that particular Muse. She had been absolutely decent lately, and he couldn't help but feel suspicious of her motives.

"Get a new favorite color, Erato," Arachne smiled.

"Find me a color with more passion than red, and I will," Erato replied as the redhead circled the design chosen. She set the pad of paper down and turned to fully face Jack again. Hesitantly, he returned to the ground.

"Now, I don't have any sketches prepared for you," Arachne said. "Beside the fact that I didn't learn you were coming until this morning when Thalia showed up and recited a poem about it, this is the first I'm seeing you, getting a feel for your style…"

She watched him for a moment in silence as Jack shifted uncomfortably beneath her gaze. He was feeling an awful lot like a spectacle lately.

"These frost designs," she said, gesturing to the frost that covered certain parts of his jacket and pants. "Are they part of the design or does this happen to everything you wear?"

"It happens to whatever I wear," he said. She nodded.

"I like them," she said. "They're organic, they have character, it's something to work with, not around."

She walked around him before approaching another set of drawers and starting to shuffle through them. The drawers were filled with various fabric swatches.

"With all the blue, my first instinct is orange," Arachne said, pulling a piece of fabric that was a bright, reddish orange from one of the drawers. She approached him again, holding the fabric beside his face and examining both in careful thought. Jack attempted not to make a face at the color.

"He'll look like a traffic cone," Erato said.

"You're right," Arachne said, returning to the drawer. "An orange suit would wear him, he needs to wear the suit."

"What about more blue?" Tooth said.

"I don't think entirely blue is the way to go, not with all his blue undertones in his skin and his blue eyes, we should help bring attention to that, not compete with it, he's got fascinating eyes," Arachne said.

"Was that one a compliment?" Jack asked.

"Observation," Arachne said, sorting through the drawers. "I'll leave any gushing and comparing your eyes to the sea to the Mortal Muse, I think."

"She's not about to recite poetry to me," Jack said, unable to help but laugh slightly at the idea.

"Does Calliope think this one will make the transition?" Arachne asked, more to Erato than anyone else.

Erato hesitated slightly, glancing back in Jack's direction before saying, "No. But isn't her decision to make."

"What's your theory? What do you think she'd be the Muse of if she did transition? I know we all thought that Yelena would inspire mechanical design," Arachne said, still sorting through her drawers.

"I don't know her well enough, do you have any theories, Jack?" Erato asked.

"Children's stories, or illustration," he said, shifting his weight slightly. He didn't like thinking of whether or not Rowan would become an immortal. Part of him liked the idea, as long as he ignored the part where she had to die first. However, he couldn't ignore the fact that Rowan seemed terrified of the concept.

But what were they supposed to do about the fact that she was mortal? His strategy so far had been to ignore this fact until such a point came that he no longer could.

"That would be nice, we don't have anyone for that yet," Erato said. She turned back to Arachne. "But Jack's suit."

"I know I can come up with something for him, I just… I'm drawing a blank right now," Arachne sighed, turning away from her drawers and watching the boy.

"Need help?" Erato asked.

"Oh, yes, yes," Arachne said, taking a few steps forward so that Erato could walk behind her. Jack and Tooth watched curiously as Erato set a hand to each side of Arachne's head and closed her eyes. She took a few deep, soothing breaths.

"What's going on?" Jack asked Tooth in hushed tones.

"She's bringing forward the ideas buried in Arachne's mind," Tooth said. "Inspiring her."

"Not those ideas, Erato!" Arachne said, hastily grabbing the Muse's hands as her cheeks turned red.

"Oops! Did I make you think something dirty, Arachne?" Erato said innocently, a mischievous grin on her face. "Who was it about? As though I don't already know."

"Erato," Arachne hissed.

"I'm not apologizing, you're going to have fun with those thoughts later, I know it," Erato chuckled. "All right, though, let's try again."

Arachne sighed, releasing Erato's hands so that they could attempt the process again. After a moment, Arachne's eyes seemed to light up and she stepped away from Erato and back to the drawers.

"Charcoal," she said. "Not black, definitely not black, it would be too harsh and too much like Cupid's but a dark charcoal should do nicely to add some contrast. We can still throw some blue in there. Perhaps in the waistcoat or the tie."

She pulled a dark gray swatch from within the drawer and approached Jack again, holding the swatch beside his face.

"Yes, I like that better," Erato said with a nod.

"I do too," Tooth said. "What about you, Jack?"

"I don't know anything about fashion," he said, shaking his head. "But I like it a lot better than the other one."

"Can you put a frost pattern on this?" Arachne asked, holding the swatch in front of him rather than beside him. He reached forward and lightly touched the fabric, watching as the frost spread across the surface. Arachne brought the fabric closer to her to get a better look at it now that it was covered in the twirling designs.

"I think this will look lovely… do you have any specifications for the design?"

"I don't know anything about fashion, I just found this jacket one day," Jack said, gesturing to his hoodie. "So just, I guess, do what you think is best?"

"Free reign, hm? I can certainly do that," Arachne said, smiling at the idea.

"Should we leave you to your work?" Erato asked. "I know you have a lot of designs to finish before the ball."

"Yes, yes, I believe I have everything," Arachne said, pulling the Muse into another hug. "It's always so good to see you."