When Ingrid entered their apartment at the end of her shift, Marya was sitting in her underwear on the floor, measuring out white powder into a piece of paper. The room smelt of incense and Ingrid traced it back to a candle lit by the window.
"How was work?" Marya asked, her attention focused on her task. Her hands shook heavily and Ingrid knew she was already halfway to high.
"It was fine." Ingrid sat at the edge of her bed and pulled off her shoes. She wiggled her toes, then bent over and cracked her back, moving from one side to another. "What about you?"
"It was terrible. I'm going to kill my Madame one of these days."
"I'll look forward to it."
Marya spent her days working for a seamstress in the downtown. According to Marya, she was the worst human to have ever been birthed.
Marya set the jar and the paper down and stretched out on the floor. When she turned to Ingrid, her face was slightly flushed.
"Oh, you know Kat? From work." Ingrid said, undoing the knots on her uniform. She pulled it off and threw it on the chair.
"She may or may not think Alph likes her."
"Who's Alph?"
"Alph, Marya. Big Alph."
"Big Alph," Marya muttered to herself over and over. Then finally she said "Ohhh. Yeah. I know him. What about him?"
"Katt thinks he likes her."
She blinked, her eyes dilating slowly. "Who's Katt?"
Ingrid withheld her groan. "It doesn't matter. Just…never mind." She fell back on her mattress.
"No, no. Tell me." Marya pushed herself to a sitting position and tucked her legs beneath her knees. "I'm listening. Tell me about—" her face went blank, bordering on slack, again.
"What dress is Zephr talking about?' Ingrid asked her, staring at their ceiling. She hadn't thought she would go to meet Zephyr, but she didn't know if she felt like being home at the moment. And if anything, she was curious. Maybe she would go just to tell the rat off to his face again. Or maybe he even had the rest of her money.
"Oh, yes! That I remember. I have something for you," Marya said in a sing-song voice and she scrambled to her feet. She pulled Ingrid from her bed towards their shared wardrobe.
She started to ruffle through her choked section like a magician digging in a sack for tricks.
"Aha!" she pulled out a new creation and held it out to Ingrid. Ingrid took the dress from her hands.
It was the one she had pointed out to Marya when they last went to the higher part of the city. Or at least a recreation of it.
A deep blue gown with a tight simple upper bodice cut low into a deep V across the chest. At the waist, the dress dropped into a full skirt made of gentle folds of the same rich material that went all the way to the floor. Then there was the accompanying shawl.
Marya had truly outdone herself. The dress even smelled new.
"It's your dress!" Marya said.
"I..see that. Wow. It's very beautiful, Marya. Well done."
"Oh, I didn't make it," Marya said. "I bought it."
"What?"