Kitty Needs New Clothes

[HikariAngel]

Brilliant colors assaulted the red eyes of a particularly unique bazaar patron. Each sign was more garish and flamboyant than the last, and the next always made the catgirl want to turn around. She couldn’t do that, of course, because she was on a mission. A thin grey sash held the two halves of a remarkably pristine white dress closed and just barely kept her decent. Of course the Salvarian wind would choose today to blow like it was the end of the world. Her shoulder-length silver hair whipped wildly in the icy gusts and the dark cat ears perched atop her head were pressed flat as she could against her skull.

A few men were probably dying of nosebleeds somewhere behind her due to unfortunate gusts and her practically useless dress, but at least it wasn’t raining. She hated the rain. Snow would be nice, but not rain.

This is exactly why she was in the bizarre bazaar. After her recent bout in the citadel, the monks were none-too-kind about her clothes, so now she needed new ones. Taking a left after the maces and another left before the partially enchanted staves, she found a shop that stood out in its own unique way. The sign was simple and lacked all of the outlandish things she expected to see on a sign for a tailor’s shop. The cacophony of the wind and people’s voices was left in near silence behind her as the heavy wooden door slid shut.

There were a few outfits on display in the window, but she was going to need custom-made items. Only the shopkeeper could help her in that regard, so she walked up to the counter and rang the bell. The noise from outside when she opened the door was probably enough to summon him (or her) from whatever nether realm shopkeepers dwelled in when they weren’t tending to their customers, but perhaps the bell was the key and not the volume…

I'd prefer Raven for this transaction...

[AdventWings]

Beautiful clothes streamed about the room, hanging off wooden racks and draped across the large oak table at the center of the room. With the curtains drawn to shut out the morning sun, one could barely see the piles of fine fabrics heaving lazily within the room. As the chime of a bell echoed into the room, the pile shifted once as if rolling its head in slumber. Two seconds passed with not as much as a stir of dust, when all of a sudden the stack of fabric literally launched itself into the air.

"Ah! Customer!"

Millie could not believe herself for sleeping on the job. It was only her third week working as a tailor striking off on her own and she was already feeling as if the weight of the world was literally on her very shoulders, not counting the stacks of clothes she had been designing and cuts of fabric she was trying to organize. Hastily adjusting her spectacles, the young worker rushed out of the backroom and almost tripped on a spool of linen she had left rolling on the floor last night.

"Hi! Welcome to th- Ah~!" Millie landed flat on the floor as she threw the door open, her thick brown braids flying in a perfect arch above her head and flopped against her nose with a resounding thwack. Rubbing her chin and thanking she hadn't broken her glasses in the fall, she quickly composed herself and re-attempted her introduction once more.

"Ahem- Welcome to the Silver Spool! How may I help you...?"

Millie froze at the sight of Monica's rags, almost forgetting that she was a customer and that Millie was supposed to be selling clothes. The tailor did not even see the eyes of interested peeping toms gawking outside her shop, some lingering about longer than others.

"...Well..." Recovering from the initial shock, the bespectacled youth nervously adjusted her glasses as she attempted to show some professionalism to her cat-eared customer. "...I guess you're here looking for some new clothes... If I'm not mistakened."

[HikariAngel]

Monica fought a losing battle against the chuckle rising through her body as the… unique shopkeeper charged out from the back room. Maybe that was where the portal was hidden. Monica listened as the flustered woman welcomed her to the Silver Spool and wasn’t taken back one bit when the brunette finally settled down enough to lay eyes on the catgirl’s tattered attire.

“Yep. I was thinking something a little more functional than this dress, but it still has to look good, of course. Some sort of leather for the top with a lining of some sort so it’s more comfortable would be nice. I’ll also need some pants, preferably denim of some sort so they’re durable.”

Glancing down to her feet, the realization that she wasn’t wearing any shoes dawned on her. She was so used to walking around barefoot or close enough to it that the thought rarely crossed her mind.

“Some nice shoes would probably be helpful; not every place has soft grass like Corone or Raiaera… Oh, and a light jacket, too.”

[AdventWings]

The tailor nodded with each order coming from the catgir, one hand already noting down the wares she was to find. Of course, being that the Salvarian tailor had the materials and instruments to do the job, the only thing left was to guage the customer's body as well as her pouch.

"Alright, let's see if I can't do what you've asked." Millie finished the note with a smile, whipping her quill pen across the parchment's face out of habit. "Allow me to give you an estimate on the price..."

Taking out a leather-bound tome, she quickly skimmed the material costs and note them down next to each of the items. The designs would come later, she thought to herself, as it would usually involve only minor increases in price.

"OK, here we are." Looking up from the piece of paper, Millie pushed her glasses up from the tip of her nose and read off the item prices.

"A leather top, more or less a tank top design to go over some sort of linen shirt, will run you about eighty gold pieces. Your denim pants would be about seventy and the jacket should cost around a hundred as well. As for shoes, I recommend fur-lined leather boots. Although that's going to cost about forty gold pieces. So... that comes to a grand total of about two hundred and ninety gold pieces."

Millie paused to take a breath as she read off the prices, hoping the customer had enough to pay for all those items.

"That's the price estimate and will change with whatever details you want to add. However..." The tailor moved out from behind her work table, looking over the scantily-clad girl once more with scrutinizing eyes. "...How do you survive out there in the cold with only a... bedsheet around your shoulders?"

Weird was the only word that came to Millie's mind.

[HikariAngel]

The shopkeeper did what shopkeepers do best: record and request. They record your wants and request money. Granted this girl was much nicer than some of the ones Monica had dealt with in the past, she still needed payment. The catgirl’s belt unfurled from around her waist and started swaying lightly behind her; she had never needed a belt before her dress got ruined so her tail had to double-up its duty for a while.

“Two-hundred and ninety? I’ve got that much.”

It was much less than she was expecting at least, and if this woman could design her a very nice set of clothes, it would be a very good deal in her eyes.

“Well, the boots have to be light… I do a lot of running and clunky things on my feet would slow me down too much.”

It was then that Monica realized the shopkeeper wasn’t really paying much attention to what she said, or at least didn’t look like it. The other woman’s eyes danced around the catgirl’s ruined dress as another unexpected question floated to her dark ears.

“It is really that cold out there? I can’t really tell. Then again, I do dabble with ice now and then.” Holding up her right hand, Monica touched her thumb and index finger together and slowly pulled them apart. Instead of air filling the space, a rapidly growing snowflake took form. She stopped when the central part of the flake was as large as her palm. Dropping the snowflake to the floor, the ice crystal vanished as quickly as it was created without even a puddle of water to show it had ever been there. “And to be fair, it used to be a very nice dress. It was damaged in a Coronian Citadel fight because I didn’t have anything else to wear.”

[AdventWings]

((I'll need to bunny Monica a little as Millie takes her measurements. If that's not OK, tell me and I'll edit out the reference.))

Blinking at the display in partial disbelief, Milie resigned to give in to the customer's strange ways of keeping "warm" in the cold.

"I... see..." The tailor nodded as she replied. But with most of the overall details completed, all that was left now was to take some measurements and actually create the gears.

Taking the catgirl's measurements was a rather simple task, but because the girl was wearing nothing but rags on her back, the tailor had to move her to the back of the shop whilst pulling down all the shutters. She could even vaguely hear the groans of disappointment from outside, much to her relief and dismay at the same time. But with the measurements taken, however...

"Alright, I'll need about a week before your clothes are done. Here, take this piece of paper and return with it to pick up your orders."

Walking around to her desk, the girl scribbled out an order form onto a small piece of paper and handed it to Monica. She paused for a moment and held her hand up, signaling the catgirl to wait for a moment before she disappeared into a nearby room. Several minutes later, Millie reappeared with a long leather trenchcoat that seemed fairly worn with seasons passed. It looked almost too large for the slight-framed shopowner, who was about the same size as Monica as well.

"Well, here. You wear this in the meanwhile." She gave the coat to her customer, putting on a somewhat oddly red-face. "Just... while you wait for your clothes to be made. I'll need it back when you come for your gears later on."

It was about the only humanly thing to do for another lady such as herself, barring asking the customer to stay with her in the shop. But such an option was not possible, therefore this was the next best thing to do.

[HikariAngel]

When the shutters went down, tension melted out of Monica’s body like chocolate left in the sun. Even if she didn’t look it, she was somewhat conscious of what people saw and what they saw her as. Getting her measurements taken was interesting in its own right only because she had never had her clothes professionally tailored before.

When all was said and done, Monica graciously took the order form and the long trench coat. Settling it around her shoulders, it was much heavier than what she was used to, she smiled and walked out of the establishment with a wave.

“I’ll see you in a week then.”

~*~

Waiting was never one of Monica’s strong points, especially when looking forward to something. The days seemed twice as long and passed at a veritable crawl. There was even one time where she could have sworn the sun moved backwards. But when it came down to it, she was going to get a full new set of clothes and they were going to be both good looking and functional for her “adventurous” lifestyle. Her purse somehow managed to keep its prior weight even when she stayed the night at the Inn Down the Street each night. Her loaned jacket never left her meager frame unless she was alone in her room with the door locked.

~*~

The longest seven days of her life were finally over! Waking up when the first rays of the sun touched her shutters, Monica bounded down the street, dodging the already bustling traffic all the way to the seamstress’ shop. Pausing a moment to catch her breath and calm herself, the catgirl pulled the heavy door open and walked calmly in. She rang the bell on the counter just like she had done the first time and had the handwritten order form all ready to hand to the pleasant woman.

[AdventWings]

But while the catgirl was ready to receive the clothes, the seamstress was nowhere to be found at the front of the store.

Zzz...

A pile of cloth and leather heaved ever so slowly to the rhythmic ticking of a large grandfather clock in the corner of the darkened room. It had taken her five whole days piecing the different layers of material together under the amber glow of a lantern, taking great pain to reinforce the seams and not forgetting to leave a hole in the back for her feline customer. Just before dawn had broken over the pristine white peaks to the east, the last button was stitched and fastened to thick, heavy jacket.

Zzz...

Gong.... Gong... Gong...

"Hmm...? What... time is it...?"

Gong... Gong... Gong...

"...Mmm...? Six in the morning... already...?"

...Gong...

"Eya! It's Seven!"

Millie bolted upright from her sleep, sending rolls of sifan and linen flying off her body in every direction. She had completely forgot that she was supposed to have the catgirl's clothes ready... today!

Feverish eyes shot towards a cloth mannequin standing near the clock, half-wondering if the articles were completed before she fell asleep and half-dreading that she indeed had not completed them in time.

When her eyes met the set of clothes draped over it, ready for the sale, she let out a thankful sigh of relief.

***

"Hi! Welcome back!"

The spectacled seamstress appeared from the back of the shop shortly after hearing the chiming bells, leather and denim piling high in her arms. Millie smiled happily as she set them onto the table, then ducking behind the counter and returning to view with a pair of fur-lined boots in her hands.

"Here you are." She announced, running over the list of items the ice-manipulating catgirl had requested. She took a moment to check her prices, add in a bit of extra labor cost to the final price and gave her customer the final cost.

"OK, adding in a bit of extra labor cost, this will cost you three hundred gold pieces total. Sounds good?"

[HikariAngel]

Between a clock chiming to the tune of fabric tumbling in the back and the distinct distressed voice of the small woman Monica came to pick her clothes up from, she was slightly nervous about her order. When she actually saw the articles laid down on the counter, though, the catgirl’s eyes lit up like Christmas morning.

“Three hundred? That sounds reasonable.”

Pulling a purse from one of the pockets of the loaned trench coat, a different purse than the one she had before, she counted out three-hundred pieces worth of gold, stacked them semi-neatly on the counter, and slipped the purse into oblivion.

“Could I… you know… try them on now? This coat is nice, but I’d like to see how these fit… and you probably want your coat back.”

[AdventWings]

"Sure thing." Millie smiled, craning her neck nervously to check if there were any gawkers outside the store. Much to her relief, those wandering eyes were nowhere to be seen.

Still, some dignity was to be reserved in this shop. If not for the customer's sake, then it was for her own store's reputation.

"You can use the backroom to try on the clothes. I'll go lock up the front door and join you in a little while for the fitting."

The seamstress carefully made her way to the front of the shop and locked the doors, hoping no one would interrupt their time until the catgirl was ready to leave.

((Feel free to bunny Millie doing her job as you see fit. She's only clumsy on her feet when she's in a panic, so don't worry about her ruining your clothes. :p))

[HikariAngel]

“Th… Thank you.”

Walking to the back room, Monica made it only a few steps in before her jaw went slack with the sheer volume of fabric and material… and the mess it was in. It looked amazingly comfortable, though. A little larger bundle for her head, hollow that out a little for her hips…

No! Bad Monica!

This wasn’t her place to make a bed. Sighing, she dropped the trench coat from her shoulders. Her white undergarments were practically ruined, including one of her favorite brassieres. She sported her second-favorite cream set today, a shade that next-to-flawlessly blended into her skin. As she took a couple steps into the fabric jungle, something caught her attention out of the corner of her right eye. It was shiny and just begging for her to take a closer look. So she did. An instant later, she removed the bolt of shimmering fabric from the pile that had so recently buried Millie and rubbed it up against her cheek, purring contentedly. It was sparkly and soft. Opening her eyes again, another bolt caught her immediate attention and she dropped her former love to chase after her new infatuation.

It was after four or so of these whimsical fantasies that Millie finally made it to the back room. To say she was slightly shocked would be an understatement.

“Ahh~! Please put those down! Those rolls cost me a fortune!”

Looking back to the flustered woman, Monica looked to the bolts in her hands and flushed bright red. Gently putting the material back on the pile, the catgirl’s tail and ears both went droopy with embarrassment and shame.

“I’msosorrypleaseforgivemeIdidn’tmeantodoitI’msoso rrypleaseforgiveme!”

“All right, it’s not that big of a de- wha!”

This latest outburst was Monica pouncing over and hugging the seamstress and almost tackling her to the ground. Yes, “fickle” was inadequate to describe the catgirl.

Realizing what she was doing once more, Monica sheepishly backed away and dressed herself in her new clothes, determined to not do anything else like that again. The fit was surprisingly good to begin with, requiring only a slight alteration for her chest (it was a touch too loose) and the hole for her tail (which was a bit too low). When the two women were actually working together to finalize the fit, Monica could easily see why Millie had opened up a shop here. She was incredibly good with the needle and shears, almost to the point of being magical.

Time flew by; Monica got in and out of her new clothes at least a dozen times each while the seamstress made the slight alterations necessary. For someone so clumsy, Millie was incredibly with her hands while she was calm. Finally, the catgirl popped her tail out the hole in the back of her jeans, straightened the fur that inevitably got messed up each time she did that, and gave Millie a big hug.

“Thank you so much. You are a wonderful seamstress. If these ever wear out or get damaged, I’m coming right back here to you for new ones or repairs.”

[AdventWings]

"No problem, girl. Drop by when you're in the area."

Millie smiled and pushed her glasses back onto the bridge of her nose. As much as the catgirl was a handful for her, the seamstress could not help but smile at the cheery gal.

((Alright, I guess that about wraps it. Post your outro and I'll close the thread.))

[HikariAngel]

With a lighter purse and newfound spring in her step, Monica smiled at the cute little seamstress and walked out. Every other window she passed, she paused to admire the excellent work that had obviously been put into her brand new outfit. Not only was it quite stylish, but it would offer far more protection than her old silk-thin dress. The stares were different now, in a good way. At least she didn't look like she should be freezing her tail off any longer.

[AdventWings]

((Transaction Complete.

HikariAngel loses 300 GP and receives the custom-tailored outfit consisting of the following:

- Leather Tanktop
- Denim Jacket
- Denim Pants
- Fur-lined Leather Boots
- 100 EXP for good IC Interactions.

Drop by the Silver Spool the next time you're in Salvar!))