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In a tiny house in the outskirts of town, Danielle's glaring at her reflection in the mirror as she tries to school her hair into something that looks less like an overgrown beard and better reflects her status as a woman of society. She's never been fond of her curls, but they seem to be fighting her especially hard today.
A figure appears next to her reflection and snorts at the face she's making. "Bad hair day, huh? Disastrous timing, don't you have that—"
"Dinner with Mr. Padilla, yes, I haven't forgotten," snaps Dani, just as the hair ribbon she's tying up gives a concerning ripping noise. She sighs, looks at the frayed section where she pulled too hard, and puts her head in her hands. "God, PJ, I don't know what to do."
"Send a letter saying you're terribly sorry but you've fallen ill and will be moving to the seaside to recuperate," suggests the figure in the mirror, which elicits a small laugh-sob from Dani but no change in her position. PJ continues, "Or you could simply not say anything and disappear in the middle of the night into the woods. Take me along, though. It gets lonely in here when you're out."
Dani sits back up, straightens her posture, shakes her head till curly strands fall in her face. "Or. I will go meet him, play the part of a respectable young lady of marriageable age, and then turn him down politely. He will have to deal. I don't want to waste his time, and that extends to his potential as a family man." She grits her teeth, wrangles her locks into submission, and promptly falls over when getting up to find her shoes and outerwear.
"Have fun! Don't die!" calls out PJ as Dani picks herself up off the floor and heads towards the door.
The sun's barely set when the door slams open and PJ whistles at the sight of Dani flopping onto the divan with a negative amount of grace. "I take it the meeting went horribly?"
"Jesus, PJ, you don't know the half of it. He was so obsessed with the idea of the children I could potentially bear. He wants at least three kids. I can't even consistently get out of bed before noon. I absolutely cannot be his wife," Dani says, her voice muffled by the cushion she faceplanted into.
There's a brief silence as Dani remains with her face buried into a scratchy throw pillow and PJ tries to figure out how to word an observation he's made. He finally says, delicately and with too many pauses, "When was the last time you were actually attracted to a man you were scheduled to meet?"
"Never," the reply comes, almost too quickly. "I've never been a fan of men, my God, I loathe them and I would detest being wedded to one." Dani rolls over, groans, but adds softly, "I know it's impossible for me, but I think I wouldn't mind if it was a woman. Don't tell anyone, though."
"There's no one for me to tell," PJ laughs, "you never bring anyone here and I'm trapped in this mirror. Though…" He trails off, his expression shifting to one of contemplation, then one of sly knowing. "There's a lovely lady who lives in a little clearing in the forest up north. I'm sure she'd get along just fine with you."
Dani blinks at PJ. Doesn't say anything for a while. Then finally, quietly, she whispers, "Show me?"
Her reflection disappears in an instant, the mirror transforming into a clear glass before a cottage surrounded by trees fades into view. The image zooms in onto the house, then shifts to one of a woman lying on a settee reading a book, squinting through a silver pince-nez. She's impossibly pale and her hair is jet black in stark contrast to her complexion.
The image disappears and PJ's face pops back up when he catches Dani staring at the woman with her jaw dropped in a silent gasp. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" he asks, voice genuine with no trace of malice. "Her name's Fiona. I met her before… all this." Dani can barely manage a nod, still too overwhelmed by Fiona's visage, and PJ hums. "It's lonely in the woods. I think she'd love to have a friend."
In the days following, the house is a whirlwind of activity as Dani rushes about, looking at the clutter scattered around her and trying to think of a suitable gift to impress Fiona on their first meeting. And hopefully entrance her to consider a second. And a third. And maybe more. But, she stops herself before going too far, she needs to even have a successful first interaction. Will this old pendant suffice if she polishes the silver? Oh, her dress needs repairing—
In the evenings, every single time before she falls asleep, Dani calls out, "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" Every single time, it shows Fiona in the midst of various activities, then goes blank before PJ lulls Dani to sleep with a story about what Fiona was like when they were younger. A talented storyteller. A younger sister who loved to tease her brother. A bit of a klutz with her head in the clouds.
But above all, a carefree, spirited woman. Who was single. And lived away from the townspeople and their suffocating ideals.
In the nights, Dani dreamt of black hair and lips pressed against hers and a warm body that demanded nothing of her.
It takes about a month for Dani to gather herself and prepare for the first ever meeting she's looked forward to in a long while. Her excitement outweighed her sensibilities at times, leading her to spend nights finding the perfect dress until either PJ reminded her that the journey into the woods was not a short one or the sun rose and she realised she'd been up for far too long. Still her energy persists, and between considering what an appropriate present would be and trying to learn more about this incredibly beautiful lady, Dani asks, "PJ, what's Fiona's favourite musical work?"
"Debussy's Clair de Lune, but no, Dani, you cannot bring a piano with you," sighs PJ, who has been diligently answering every question that comes out of Dani's frenzy and tacking on a quip to bring her down to reality.
Dani pouts, then goes back to polishing her shoes.
When the day finally comes that Dani's ready to head out in search of the woman of her dreams, she's getting dressed when PJ says, "Could you take your pocket mirror and press the glass side against mine?"
She blinks, confused. "What for?"
PJ blinks back at her. "To bring me along? Have you never considered that I can only move to objects that are directly in contact with whatever I'm currently possessing?"
"Oh," says Dani, and realises with a start that she's never really thought about how PJ came to be. "Alright," she says, still slightly confused, but does as PJ instructs.
There's a whooshing sound, then the mirror before her seems… clearer. There's nothing special about it now, just a cold reflection staring back at her. Then a little voice pipes up from the mirror in her hand. "Here, I'm here. Now you can take me anywhere you go."
Dani snorts. "Yeah, and make people think I'm crazy for talking to a mirror." Still, she smiles slightly, pleased to know that PJ likes being around her enough to want to keep her company on the way to Fiona's place. No doubt he could just watch her progress from a distance, so this had to be something special.
…Also, nobody really likes talking to her. She doesn't like them either, so it's not an issue, but it does feel lonely sometimes.
She takes a taxi to the northern side of town, the far end from her home down by the odd forestry in the south. She hands the driver the due fare, walks to a quiet spot where nobody will look in her direction, and pulls out the mirror PJ currently inhabits. "Where to now?"
All things considered, the trek isn't too long. Maybe it's Dani's excitement, maybe it's PJ's company, but she's surprised when she reaches a grassy patch with bright sun and a familiar house. "Here?" she asks timidly, voice suddenly quiet as the weight of her actions and her fear of socialising finally sets in.
"Here," PJ confirms. At the sight of Dani's expression flickering with fear, he tries for a smile. "You've come so far already. I never thought I'd see a day where you willingly leave the house. Go talk to Fiona. I'm sure she'll love some company."
Dani sucks in a deep breath, steels herself, and walks towards the front door, careful not to trample on some slightly wilted flowers. She raises her hand to knock—
The door swings open before she even touches the wood. The woman she's seen so many times in the weeks prior, the woman she's dreamt of day and night, stands before her. She's just as beautiful as she seemed in PJ's projections.
She smiles and holds out her hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Fiona Lester. Come in for some tea, I'd love to get to know you."
Dani barely manages to mentally shake off her stunned awestruck puppy love to shake the offered hand with too little force. "Danielle Howell. I'd love to."