In a time and place where women are free to wear trousers as often as they do skirts, unfortunately the shorter versions still tend to be reserved for the trollops. It's a fact of life that Teren knows well, and she would never in good conscience send a young lady out in public wearing so scandalous a garment.

"You were right to ask," she says, a bit more gently, appraising the dress. "Depending on complexity, this shouldn't take altogether too long. I imagine you need it before the ball?"