Córu had been quelling the intense ball of nerves within her gut all morning, suppressing them without any notice from her host as the two had begun preparing for their trip to Dumbarton later in the day. For all of the selkie's trepidation regarding the sights, sounds, and proximity to humans- lirds- whomever- she had discovered, at some point, that much all of her anxiety paled when considered beside her terror at approaching and meeting those whom Eilidh most esteemed. Already, she knew Eilidh trusted these women with her sanity, having thought of them, first, when it came to checking such things when first confronted with a selkie in the first place, but even more so did she trust their tastes, their opinions, their thoughts as to what she ought to do. True as it was that Eilidh was certainly want to march to her own drum beat, and yet Córu couldn't help but worry at the thought of one - or more - of these women meeting her, pulling Eilidh aside, telling her how crazy she was to be harboring somebody - anybody - and to remove her from her life immediately for any myriad reason. It was all negative, she recognized, yet that did little to actually circumvent such irrational thought.

She stood fretfully in the living area of the home until Eilidh finally opened the door to her bedroom, waving for Córu to enter, "Alright, I'm ready. and I think I've just the outfit for you."

"Outfit?" Córu inquired.

Eilidh shrugged, "Well, I mean, I figured you'd want to look presentable. You weren't planning on wearing my ratty clothes, were you? We'd certainly become pariahs."

"That's not what I meant," she muttered lowly, biting her lip, "I mean you- took the time to-"

"Oh. I mean, I was already picking out something for myself, so," Eilidh shrugged, feigning a lack of effort on her part before immediately subverting her own attempt as such once Córu stepped into the bedroom, staring at the bead where two outfits lay, "I didn't know if you were a dress or suit kind of woman, so I just picked out both, just in case. With your skin, brighter colors work better, so I personally think the dress looks better; they don't often make suits that are bright, though that doesn't mean it can't be done. We're already bucking a few trends here."

Córu looked over the outfits, her smiling only slowly managing to stretch across her face, "They're- both lovely."

"Well, you can only pick one," Eilidh pointed out simply, "Unless you know something I don't. This isn't going to be one of those events where we're swapping into multiple outfits throughout the night."

Córu eyed her, "Those exist?"

"Occasionally. Usually the more posh scene."

"Goodness..." she breathed, "That must be so- wonderful. colorful."

Eilidh frowned, "Stuffy..."

Crossing her arms, Córu examined the two outfits, only after a few moments examining Eilidh's outfit with a subtle, sidelong glance: a lengthy tunic that might have resembled a short dress with trousers beneath, sort of riding the line between what Córu must have imagined was the human ideals of masculine and feminine, though very clearly leaning toward what the suit on the bed was seeming to be hinting toward.

"I think-" she strode toward the dress, reaching low to run a hand across it, the turquoise fabric causing her skin a contrast that caused her eyes to widen in surprise, "-this is perfect."

Eilidh smiled, nodding, "Excellent. Put it on and I'll find a jump or corset for and-"

The look of confusion on Córu’s face caused her to pause, the selkie muttering softly, "I thought those go on first...?"

"Oh, gods," Eilidh sighed, "They can; I wear them as such, but if you're wearing a dress, it's much more the fashion to wear it on the outside." She turned to exit the room, hastening her gait in case the blush on her face forced its way to the surface quicker than she anticipated - such was the manner of finding out this woman's idea of fashion came, not from society, but from having seen her in some stage of undress, "Just put it on and let me know, okay?"

Nodding, Córu turned to the mirror that was standing up in the corner of the room as Eilidh shut the door behind her. She stared into her eyes which bore back into her, playing back the week prior in her mind, from what had been a traumatic trek through an unexpected storm, to- something even more unexpected. Something that had been entirely, utterly a surprise. Something, in her wildest dreams, perhaps, she couldn't have even imagined having occurred. Not since many years ago, anyway. Something she'd been told wouldn't be - couldn't have been - waiting for her out here.

Slowly, almost with a meticulous crawl of one under scrutiny, she pulled her shirt over her head, allowing her hair to fall before carefully allowing her arms to do the same, staring at her body in the mirror, wondering what it must have been that Eilidh had continued stealing glances at. Certainly, it wasn't her. She'd been told, many times, how disgusting she was. how nobody would want her. and yet, this woman - this human - seemed preoccupied in finding near every avenue in keeping her there. Was it something of her personality? No, she'd been made, many a time, to feel a chore. Told her attentiveness and care was an unnecessary attribute, a trait unbecoming of a selkie. Even Eilidh had shone similar tendencies, and yet, as the week progressed, this woman seemed able - willing, even - to adapt. to make room. to clear space for her.

Córu’s eyes narrowed, crossing her arms to conceal her midsection, bringing her breasts more full into focus, her shoulders extending forward, her hair springing in spritely directions; so much of her body felt like a mismatched puzzle. Bony shoulders, wide hips, hair that both sat orderly yet also curled in the humid air, a bit of a belly and an even thicker thighs. If this was the body of a tempting selkie, it certainly didn't look it.

Yet, Eilidh had taken the time to pick out, not one, but two outfits with which to adorn it - in her own eyes - to perfection.

Her lips trembled. She raised a hand, pressing a knuckle to her lips as tears formed, unable to truly reconcile with the goodness Eilidh had offered, perhaps entirely unintentionally.

"Hey!" a knock came at the door, "It's not difficult, you know!"

Córu’s laugh broke past the tears, "No, I- I've got it."

"Good. I'm not coming in there. You may not mind public nudity, but that's not exactly how we do it up here."

Turning toward the dress, sizing up how best to slip it on, Córu offered in explanation, "Perhaps if you were a seal most of your life, you'd feel differently."

"Pretty sure I'd still find a way to cover up my nethers."

Córu smirked, able to feel Eilidh's rolling eyes despite there being a solid door between the two of them. She carefully pulled the dress up, uncertain what to make of the tender-looking material, before slowly pulling it over her head, allowing it to fall over her and down to her ankles. The moment she turned back toward the mirror, she marveled. All misgiving she'd had about her human body had disappeared beneath a veneer of turquoise fabric, tawny skin, and chestnut hair. Eyes wide, she felt them begin shiver once again, tears threatening her face once again, seeing herself, not merely in a visage of herself she hadn't thought possible, but- one which had been catered to her. Her skin, soon to be her form.

She heard the door crack open, spinning her head around as Eilidh's voice finally broke her concentration, "Hey! Are you okay?! I've-" The human woman's brow immediately threw itself upward in shock, stepping into the room. "H- Hey! Hey, it's- okay! Gods damn, we can try on the suit, alright?!"

Córu shook her head, smiling while returning to the mirror, "No, please- don't."

"Well, you could have fooled me; gods," Eilidh's shoulder slumped as she took a deep breath, shaking her head before finally taking stock of the situation before her, "What's so-"

She met Coru's eyes in the mirror, following them to where they lay, examining the dress within which Córu had been dressed, "Oh. It's just something I had; it's nothing special. I was going through a phase a few years ago."

Córu gave a short laugh, shaking tears bursting from her face, "It's astounding."

"Well, that's one selkie's opinion," Eilidh rolled her eyes, "There are some prima donnas in Dumbarton whom you could wear the moon and not impress them." She reached over to adjust the dress, pausing. "May I?"

Córu nodded.

Grabbing swaths of skirt, Eilidh gently yanked them down until the dress was adequately shaped to the woman's body, leaning forward to examine it front-on, nodding, "Alright. Let me go grab a corset." Groaning with annoyance, she complained, "I swear, you left me affright! Good lord, I thought you were about to have a meltdown or something."

"No, no," Córu shook her head, unable to halt both her smile nor her eyes from being cast upon her form in the mirror, "I just- This is new for me."

"Well, yeah; you're a seal-woman," Eilidh muttered sardonically from a armoire, grabbing a corset which matched the dress Córu wore rather well, "Here we go. Nothing too tight; gods know we're not in Paris."

Córu turned toward her, "What's in Paris?"

"A lot more corsets, I'd imagine. This one, we'll just tighten a bit; it's not as if you need that much shape and support, anyway."

Noticing a blush, Córu was happy to find Eilidh stepping behind her. She reached around the selkie, pulling a rather stiff-looking vest across Córu’s midsection, pulling it across her midsection and wrapping it around to her back.

"Okay, pull it up," Eilidh explained.

Córu nodded gingerly before gently grabbing the top of the elegant-looking piece of outerwear, rather softly tugging on it, much to Eilidh's dissatisfaction. She frowned, breathing a hot breath that broke across Córu’s neck, sending a shiver down her spine.

"No, you've got to- It's gonna be rough with you, so you have to remember to be rough with it, alright?" Eilidh made a quick, rudimentary knot at the back to keep it in place before reaching over and taking the top of the corset with her hands, tugging rather roughly not mere inches from Córu’s chest for a few moments before pulling away, "See? Check you out. The men are gonna go crazy."

Córu couldn't find the words to speak, crimson as she was.

"Now," Eilidh announced before carefully tying the back of the corset, taking care not to alienate the poor woman on her first time, "Check that out. You look like an ornament."

"I-" Córu’s eyes flashed toward the mirror, aghast as what she was seeing, "I don't know what to say."

Eilidh shrugged, stepping away, "I mean, not passing out was probably good enough. That would have been a whole other bit of trouble." She stood beside Córu in the mirror, reaching up to collect her hair and run it all down along her shoulder, holding it in place there as she gave one final examination to herself, though, as Córu stared at the both of them, side by side in the mirror, she nearly did feel the need to pass out.

"Alright, then; I believe we're ready," nodded Eilidh, turning toward Córu with a nod, "Any objections?"

A shake of the head.

"Wonderful. I suppose we'll make do with a visit to Ariella, first; she'll be the least likely to being prying into things before we're ready. Skyla will hunt like a mad dog on the scent, and Bella- she might scope out a selkie at twenty paces; I honestly don't know."

Córu nodded, "And they'll all be okay with- Uh..."

"Me harboring and abetting a selkie? Well, you saved my life, so-" she shrugged simply, "they're kind of going to have to be okay with it, I guess. At least until we figure out where you're headed in life and how we're getting you there. Then, I don't know, they'll probably be honest then and really tell me how they feel, but that's a whole other thing for later."

The humor in her tone allowed Córu a grin as Eilidh led the two of them out into the living area, "I guess, without further ago, we can head on out."