[Ellysia]

Sleep-tousled hair feel into Ellysia’s eyes as she shuffled her way toward Sasan’s shop, her cow-shaped slippers leaving little heart imprints in the snow. Sasan had called her in a panic. His latest collection was already late, crazy weather the leading factor, making shipments impossible to deliver. Breath turning into wisps of bland white, she knocked on the shop's back door, grumbling as the cold seeped into her and the wind whipped her hair in a dizzying array of black and red.

I swear to the gods above, if he wasn’t my best friend, I’d fry his butt, making me wade through the snow to sew a few buttons on.

Squinting against the bright interior light, she brushed past Sasan’s flustered form. His speech blurred together, nerves having obviously gotten the better of the dragon-scaled man.

“Sasan…” Her eye twitched as he rambled on about late fabrics, broken-hearted customers, and the absolute end of his career. “Sasan, I swear to the heavens, if you don’t shut up and show me where to start, I’m going to turn your hair pink the next time you come into the salon!” Teal eyes blinked at Ellysia, her sharp tone catching the Ascent off guard, but really, what did he expect? It was two in the bleeding morning!