Who: Padma and Parvati Where: Patil home, Padma's room When: Tuesday evening What: The sisters need to talk! Incomplete
After sending her sister an owl, asking Parvati to visit, Padma settled down on the window seat in her room with one of the books received from her parents for Christmas. Ever since she was little, Padma always got several new books and tended to devour most of them by the end of January. However, when usually she would be starting on book six by now, this time she was only beginning book four and it was all due to her inability to concentrate. Instead her mind kept staying to the night when she and Ernie confessed their feelings and he announced his intention to accompany her to India. When she wasn't revisiting the magic of that night (fairly easy to do when she saw Ernie quite a lot and they were expressing their feelings), she was thinking about their trip together and what she should take. The bag with five outfits that Hannah had given her was definitely on the list, but what else? Should she assume she would pick up clothing in India? Bring something to make Ernie's eyes pop with amazement? And what about lingerie? Or was that too daring? And make up? There was also dinner on Thursday night to consider, she hoped the Black Tulip meeting in the morning wouldn't cause anything to go wrong!
So, it was times like these that she needed her sister's expertise and besides, she wasn't seeing Parvati nearly as much as she would like and her twin deserved to know what had happened.
"Hey you," Parvati said, entering the room and taking a seat across from her sister. She smiled warmly at Padma. "What's going on?"
Padma returned Parvati's greeting with a smile accompanied by a hug and then handed her the note she'd written earlier. "Ernie has agreed to come with me to India in March AND I told him I loved him AND he said he loved me too!" the huge grin that broke out as Padma thought - again - about that night spoke louder than words how happy she was. "So now you're caught up on the news, and I need some advice about what to do next and also what I need to think about bringing with me to India."
Parvati's eyes went wide. "He did? Wait--" Her surprised expression turned smug. "I am good. Admit it: I was right."
Her lips pressed together and Padma's eyes narrowed slightly. "We did NOT get together because of that prediction." she wrote quickly, but realised that she didn't want to annoy her sister when she needed Parvati's help, so added a compromise. "But perhaps it helped us to think more in that direction."
Parvati laughed. "That's fair, I guess. So, did you say--write--it back?"
"I signed the words first," Padma clarified and then smiled a little ruefully. "I have a feeling he wouldn't have said anything if I hadn't. Ernie is a bit old fashioned in his thinking."
"Anyway... I need some advice about what I should take to India. I know it's still a couple of months away, but I want to be prepared!"
"We have to go shopping," Parvati said, her face lighting up. " You have so much to buy. Do you think...he'll propose? That's your dream, isn't it?"
Padma's cheeks burned and she ducked her head, pressing her hands to her hot cheeks. Since she shared so much with Parvati, of course she had mentioned her dream of being proposed to in front of the Taj Mahal at sunrise. Swallowing, she picked up her quill. "I don't know, I'm not expecting it, I think it was a big step for him to say he loves me. We've only been dating since the end of October anyway."
Parvati frowned a little. "You're right, I guess. That just means he'll have to take you again. In a year or so. When you're ready for that next big step, yeah?"
Padma nodded, her cheeks still flushed. She wasn't even daring to think that her dream proposal would come true, just so she wouldn't be disappointed. In the end, she loved Ernie and however he chose to ask for her hand would be alright... right? "Anyway, let's discuss shopping," she moved onto the easier subject. "I want to get some nice outfits for an evening out - or two, nothing too tight fitting since I don't want to shock people, but something that's really pretty and makes sure he doesn't even think of looking at someone else!" a slight grin before she wrote down her next concern. "Also, what about lingerie? I mean, I don't expect him to see that, but..." Padma stopped writing and made a vague motion with one hand, blushing again.
"Definitely," Parvati said, nodding along. "Even if he doesn't see it, you'll want to look your best. Just in case. What if there's a fire?"
"A fire that burns all my clothes and leaves me only in underwear?" Padma laughed silently but agreed with a tilt of her head. "All right, so decent lingerie, a fabulous evening dress... What else?"
"Comfortable but stylish shoes," Parvati said thoughtfully. "For all that walking you'll be doing."
"That's a given," Padma nodded. "I don't want to break an ankle because I'm wearing the wrong shoes!" she paused then and tapped her quill against the paper. "I need something new for Thursday night as well. We're having dinner and I think he's seen all my really nice outfits that aren't TOO fancy!"
"You can always come look in my closet, too," Parvati offered. "If you want to try out a sexier look first before you buy."
A faintly dubious expression crossed Padma's face, despite her efforts to keep it away. She admired her sister's style, but... "I appreciate the offer, but Ernie would definitely notice the difference and I don't think he'd approve."
Parvati let out a long sigh. Ernie, as sweet as he was, really needed to get with times. When was he born? 1480? "Yeah, well, I'll have to work on him then."
Now Padma was a bit miffed, a feeling that usually preceded sisterly spats, and her lips pursed in a manner that suggested she was sucking on a lemon. "I like Ernie how he is... even if he does have some old fashioned ideas," she added fairly. "Anyway, I wouldn't feel comfortable in anything too sexy and you know it." Because she wasn't the sexy one, she was the clever one and that was the way it was.
"You wouldn't want to be different, even for one day?" Parvati asked, her eyebrow raised.
Padma bit her lower lip. "Wanting isn't the same as actually doing," she pointed out. "Of course there were times I wanted to be different, but at the same time I know I won't feel comfortable in something like... oh, a mini skirt or a very deep neckline." She glanced at her twin with an inquiring look that very clearly asked Parvati the same question about wanting to be different.