~Alora's POV~
Soren arrived at four.
And with her she had two garment bags, a makeup artist named Priya who spoke exclusively in decisive statements rather than questions, and the focused energy of someone who had been given a brief and had spent the intervening week executing it with professional thoroughness.
The garment bags went on the bed.
Priya assessed my face the way Soren had assessed my closet — directly, without softening it, with the particular honesty of someone whose job required them to see clearly and act accordingly.
"Good bone structure," she said. "Skin needs hydration. Sit."
I sat immediately at after her command.
