Summary | Theseus gifts Dianthus a custom made arena uniform. Unfortunately... Dianthus thinks the arena uniforms are a little ugly.
TWs | Brief / fairly nondescript scene of nonsexual nudity and discussion of body image. Also Theseus is a little thirsty in this. He's always thirsty. Help him.
The gift itself was simple enough; displayed upon a mannequin was a chiton of a gentle blue colour with a trim of shimmering ruby on its skirt. The cloth had been customized so it would fit easily over Dianthus’ soft curves, and was meant to cover her chest in the same way a peplos would (as Theseus knew how she hated to be more exposed than necessary, though he himself was much the opposite.) Alongside the chiton was a pair of gauntlets and a golden belt, though its design was much simpler than the championship belt Theseus himself wore.
Yes, the gift was simple. What wasn’t simple, however, were the implications of this gift. An arena uniform, worn by those who trained and competed in Elysium’s colosseum. A garment typically only donned by warriors. Theseus had designed the uniforms himself, choosing the colours, drafting the belt’s insignia, even tracking down a jeweler to test out different shades of ruby gemstones to embed within the gloves.
Dianthus was no warrior, yet it made sense that Theseus would pick such a gift. The king had on occasion expressed a desire for her to begin training alongside his fellow warriors.
Strength alone does not make a warrior great! One must be of great intellect, and have the mental fortitude to quickly create and act out strategic plans. And you, my lady- your intellect astounds me! If you were to apply such intellect to the battle field, why, you’d be unstoppable!
And on a different occasion, while watching the battle of a lesser hero, he expanded on his point:
Though I am Elysium’s champion, he’d said, I find there is much to learn from observing the battles of others! Watching for their strengths, their weaknesses! Strategizing at a mere glance! Studying these techniques is but another way that I remain Elysium’s greatest warrior!
And while that much was certainly true, there was also the fact that he loved watching Asterius’ private matches for reasons that could be simply described as “Theseus thinks the bull is at his most attractive during a fight.”
And thus, Dianthus assumed this had less to do with the actual art and technical skill that came with wielding a weapon, and more to do with “Thesus thinks the outfit would look cute on her.”
Which is all fine and good, truthfully. Dianthus had no issue with dressing up in a way Theseus would enjoy, as he would do (and often does) the same for her.
The issue was the simple fact that Dianthus found the arena uniforms to be ugly.
She’d never mentioned it to the king, knowing how proud he was of his craftsmanship, but his taste was just so… gaudy. His work lacked cohesion. He would put strange colours together and slap gold ornamentation wherever he liked regardless of whether it fit or not. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Theseus was so stubborn! Many of Elysium’s tailors had attempted to set him down the path of aestheticism, but the king would not listen to their suggestions. And so…
“Erm…” Dianthus gently lifted the sky-blue fabric of the chiton, hesitant to so much as touch the garment. “Thank you very much for the gift, Theseus.”
“There is no need to thank me, my Lady Dianthus! To deliver such a gift unto you is my honour!” Theseus beamed brightly, standing proudly as he often did within the arena itself. He did this to appear confident, and to show how he took pride in his work.
“I assume you want me to try it on.”
“Yes!!” Theseus exclaimed a bit too enthusiastically. “Ahem, that is… though I would enjoy seeing how the outfit fits upon your figure, whether you try it on now or another time shall be your decision. Indeed, I have little desire to rush you.”
“I see.” Dianthus traced a finger along the ruby trim which glittered almost blindingly; an indication of how newly made the garment was. What to do? Wearing it would be a simple way to make Theseus very happy. And while he certainly wouldn't be too upset if she never got around to trying on the chiton, she knew he would be disappointed… and that may lead him to trying to track down something even gaudier to gift her with, in the hopes she’d like that item more than the arena uniform. It would be simpler, then, just to put the damned thing on.
“Give me a moment,” Dianthus sighed. Then, “you go stand outside.”
“But of course my lady Dianthus! I shall do as you ask!” Theseus bowed, then exited the room… all while doing a fairly poor job of hiding his excitement, judging by the way he kept giggling to himself.
Now alone in the room, Dianthus turned to face the mirror that stood tall on the opposite wall of her home. She again lifted the blue cloth of the garments, idly rubbing it between her fingers. It was soft, at least. It felt comfortable enough, and the wool of the fabric was very clearly of high quality.
Frowning only slightly, Dianthus began to disrobe. She would only have to do this once. Settle her king’s curiosity and then she’d never have to wear the blasted thing again.
As always when she was nude, the nymph gazed at her figure. She had no qualms with her size at this point in her life, but she couldn’t help but feel certain parts of herself looked a little strangely, with her narrow hips and uneven chest. It was nothing she could change, however, so she’d simply elected not to worry about it.
Dianthus pulled the garment from the mannequin, mindful of the golden pins that aided in keeping its form. It didn’t take long to pull it over herself, letting its gentle blue settle upon her body in waves.
It was… hmm. Though it had been less obvious at first, it seemed the skirt of this particular uniform had been made slightly longer than usual, reaching to just beneath Dianthus’ knees. Which in turn meant that the typically forgetful king had remembered Dianthus’ preference for longer skirts on her clothing. It was a small gesture… but it was still surprisingly thoughtful for him. She would have to thank him later.
When she twirled, the loose fabric twirled alongside her, soft blue and shimmering ruby blurring together as she did so. The next item of business was the belt, made with a soft leather so it could comfortably curve around her wide waist, then the gloves. In this outfit, she looked like a proper warrior… kind of. Would it even be possible for her to battle while wearing glasses…?
Once she’d finished observing herself in her mirror, ensuring all her items were in order, she called out to the king: “Theseus? You can come back in now.”
It took merely seconds for Theseus to burst into the room, seemingly having grown bored of masking his own excitement.
“Ah, look at you!” he gasp, “Just as I thought! How gorgeous you are, my lady! Aphrodite herself would cower with envy before you!!”
Dianthus laughed sweetly. “The goddess would be quite upset if she heard you just now. Perhaps it’s better to keep her name out of your mouth, hmm?”
“Pah! Let her be upset! I would be a fool to deny the beauty that stands before me now.”
Theseus, physical as ever, went in to hug his lady, and Dianthus allowed it. His arms wrapped tightly around her, and Dianthus could feel him laughing against her neck, as he often did when his mood turned jolly. It wasn’t often that Theseus allowed himself to show his joy so openly, preferring to stay composed and confident before the rabble of Elysium. But here, in private, he smiled for her.
And yet… even after all this… she still thought the uniform was ugly.
But if it would make her king happy… she supposed she could tolerate wearing it, at least for now.