[Alecta/Altair/Ari/Open]
Ari's smile never slipped. "Honestly?" she asked. "Yes, rather hilarious. Am I supposed to cry and wring my hands over it?" Better all around to make a joke of the matter; she had no reason to doubt she wore the dress to excellent effect, and if Alecta decided to get frazzled over it, it was no concern of hers. "Strangely, I was trying to give you a compliment for once. Sort of, at any rate.". She shrugged as if to show just how little she cared. "That will teach me." She turned her most dazzling smile on Altair as the next dance started. "As I mentioned, I'm cutting in. You wouldn't deny an old friend a dance, now would you?"