Laliel's Sew Shop

(I talked with Sidney about controlling the npc character for the first couple of posts and he said I could because it would work as character development for the first post. you'll see why.)

Avril entered Laliel's Sew Shop carrying the leather material. She sets them down on a table.

Suddenly a surprised call can be heard "You're alright!", It's Laliel, the shop owner. "You're father said you were missing, that you were kidnapped!"

Avril shakes her head. "No, I left on my own accord. An arranged marriage!? I mean, come on! There's no way I was going to marry that creep!", Avril is fuming at just thinking about it. "I'm going to use the change room. I'll be right back out, and don't you dare send someone to tell my father I'm here. You can tell him I'm fine after I leave." Having said that Avril storms into the changing room to take off her chaps.

Laliel looks confused. "He said she wanted to marry him..." she then shakes her head and goes about her business.

Following Avril into the tailors, she hears a conversation she wasn't sure she was supposed to hear. *A runaway? An arranged marriage? Maybe I shouldn't be calling Avril by her first name if she's some rich girl, maybe Ms. Bellevue?... Naw not my style, people are people no matter how much money you have... most of the time having more makes you less of a person, but Avril seems to have revolted against it well enough to prove herself as a person. This is the kind of person I can appreciate*
Falabella waits for Avril to be done changing, still holding her gear, not wanting to get any chaps confused.
Talking to Avril through the changing room curtain, she feels the need to make Avril less tense from being reminded of a past she still seems to feel trapped by. "Avril... I'm glad you're rebeling, though from what I can only gather clues has to do with more than one very controlling man. I refuse to live my life regretting what i didn't have the courage to do, and taking the first step takes more courage than facing anything afterward. You, my new friend, are very couragious, and I hope to get to know you better... Oh, since your presence is making me want to write music again, do you mind telling me about the arranged marriage?"

Avril doesn't say anything to Falabella until she comes back out of the changing room carrying her chaps. "There isn't much to say. My father introduced me to a man 15 years older than me one day and then told me I WOULD marry him in a month's time. Worst of all, he was just as chauvinistic as my father and brothers." As Avril finishes speaking she grabs some thread and a needle.

Avril brings them over to the table the other materials were on and sets them down, then she goes and gets a cloth tailor's tape measure and then starts taking Falabella's measurements.

Putting her robe and chaps on the table, she holds very still while Avril starts taking her measurments. "I only need the robe hemmed and taken in, but the chaps I would like remade into what I'm most comfortable wearing" She describes her Sprite's Corset in detail She had worn one like it at home, but was unable to pack it when she rushed after Tokara. "With how small I am, one pant leg of the chaps may be enough, but I guess you know your stuff better than me. Do you think you can do something like that?," she states the first part smiling, she knew she was small, but having visited the Sprites looking for her birth mother, she knew he was much larger than the largest of Sprites. Not truely fitting in anywhere, she quickly learned not to take offence to harmless jokes... unless they weren't harmless, then she was a little wildcat, ready to rip a throat out if you pushed her.

"I understand the issues with men like that, but what about your mother? What was she like?" So far Avril had answered all of her questions, hopefully she wasn't making Avril uncomfortable. Falabella's personality was that of almost brutal honesty, in asking and answering, its not like she wouldn't answer any questions Avril may ask, but not everyone was as open about themselves as Fala.

Avril responded to Falabella's question about her mother with almost as much distaste. "My mother? She married my father for his money and is willing to stay subservient in order to live the life of a rich woman." That is all she had to say about her mother, and while it may sound pointed it was right on the mark. Avril then began cutting the materials for Falabella's gear, then Sidney's chaps, then her own chaps.

She was quiet the whole time it took to do this. She then looked at the cut materials when they were finished. It looked like she had done good, but she was worried about how they would look when she got them sewn together and had patched up the holes that they were covered in, since they all had gotten the gear. Only Falabella's musty robes were unmarked.

"You would think the guard would not hand out chaps that were all marked up like this."

"If the need for people is as bad as it seems that they'll recruit anybody... i guess... maybe... we should be grateful for getting free gear...." Trying to see the brighter side of the pile of... rags that they were given... she couldn't make it look any better than what she saw in front of her. "Naw, this stuff sucks, could't they have at least paid to have this shit sewn up?

"Is there anything I can help with? like holding something for you, or something?" She can at least to that since Avril was doing so much for her.

*wonder how Tokara is doing... At least Sidney said he'd keep an eye one him... but he can be such a handfull*

"I will need your help in a bit, but right now I don't think there is much you could do to help. I'm going to save your gear for last.", says Avril as she start sewing some patches onto Sidney's chaps. "These are going to look pretty pitiful. If you're wondering, I'm going to do these, then hem your robe, then work on my gear and finish on your corset, basically going from easiest to hardest."

Avril then thinks of something to talk about while working. "Do you have any elemental skills? Mine are light." It may have been a poor conversation topic, but Avril was not used to making small talk.

Happy to be able to help some during this process, she awaits her turn. then she suddenly remembers the one peice of her armor she has yet to mention... *crap*... "umm... its ok if we don't do it today, but are you able to make a glove for me also? fingerless except for the middle finger, with flaps covering pockets on the pad of the middle finger and the meat at the base of the thumb? I wont be able to utilize it fully without the proper herbs right now so it's ok if we dont get to it today, but i could grab the flint and metal now and have it on hand for when it's finished."

Thinking that Avril may be confused with the glove requirements, she remembers Avril had questioned her on her element. "I use the wind, so the glove with the flint and metal allows me to create a spark and use fire to a certain extent. My ability with the wind is still needing a little work, the wind can be a stubborn servant sometimes, she doesn't always obey" she laughs, knowing that her willpower will always prevail.

She stands there watching Avril work, jealous at the woman's ability with a needle and thread. Falabella hadn't always been accused of being the most femine of people, and watching her sew reminded her of her many failed attempts at it... and the many failed attempts at cooking... and her manners... *oh well, I am who I am and I like me as me... though learning to sew wouldn't be a bad idea in the future...*

Avril thinks a bit about the glove before responding, "I suppose I can do the glove too, but where will you get the flint from?" asks Avril as she finishes Sidney's chaps. Avril thinks of what to do next and then starts preparing to hem the robe. "Maybe it would be best to do the glove later as it will be easier to get the materials later." says Avril. Avril decides to wait on Falabella's decision as it will determine whether she hems the robes or makes the gloves next.

"I figured the shop where we have to buy our travel gear should have flint, if not there than i may have Tokara mine me some... I'll get it later, it's good, I'll save my spare leather and have it made later." Figuring it'd just be a hassle to do now and wanting to check on Tokara, Falabella shouldn't be adding more work to do.

"sure i can't help with anything? I can stand really still, and you may need to know where to cut the back down to leave room for my wings... oh... sorry... i may not have mentioned that... crap. i'm sorry, i know i'm a hassle" Feeling a little bad about how much work this woman was doing for her, she tried to think of anything she could do to help to lessen her workload. Unable to think of anything yet, she resigns herself to admitting her lack of skill "Sorry I can't be of more help, i'm good with needles... but only as weaponry, I've never been able to even sew a simple patch. I've always been a little jealous of people who can sew and cook, women and men... even Tokara can cook better than me" She laughs at that last statement, true as it is, seeing her over 7' tall brother cooking was always funny to watch.

"So... can you work any magic with Light? I'm working on a few things, but the damned wind still doesn't obey me fully yet."

"Light magic is probably how I'll be most useful to our group, though I hate to admit it." Says Avril in response to Falabella's question about Light magic. "Though right now it's only very minor, I can heal. I haven't trained much to do it, though I suppose now I have a reason to." She then thinks for a second. "Would you mind putting the robes on? It will make it much easier to modify them if you're wearing them. It will probably be the easiest if I do that at least for a bit with the corset too."

"And come to think of it, if you want I can make the glove now and just make the part of the pouches that holds the material in when you get the materials."

"Yay!" Glad she can finally do something to help, she quickly grabs the robe and dashes behind the changing curtain. Practically ripping off the cloth backless shirt and shorts she was wearing, she pulls the robe over her head, letting it fall to the ground... and it keeps falling, puddleing around her feet with a couple of feet. It almost slips off her shoulders too, but Falabella catches it in time to keep it upright. With one hand holding the top on, and the other holding enough of the material off the ground so she could walk, she emerges from the changing area, trying not to laugh openly about what she must look like. Her mother had always made her clothes before, and having a centaur for a mother, she never had a "Lets try on mom's clothes" phase. This was a new type of experience, having big clothes REmade to fit her, and it was kind of fun.

Looking at Avril, she chuckles "You're allowed to laugh ya know. You would think the the guards would have maybe something dwarf size at least... but take what you can get, its better for armor than what i had. Careful around the wings, they wont fall off but they don't like to be restrained. Thanks again for doing all this for me. I'm just glad Tokara doesn't see this, a woman with talent... he'd be after you so fast. And you can heal!... Maybe we can work on some spells together, I try to heal... but not so much success as of yet. ohh ya, can you tear up the rest of the cloth fabric into bandages, I'll split them with you for helping me, then we can work on First aid together. Believe me, Tokara will need a lot of bandages"

Avril had too much on her mind to really laugh without it being fake so she didn't. She starts working on tailoring the clothes. "I'm not really that good with healing yet either, I can do a little, but only a little." She then thinks on what Falabella had said about the bandages. "That sounds good about the bandages, but does he really get hurt that often?" asks Avril.

Avril continues tailoring after asking the question. She's making fast work of it because it is much easier when someone is actually in the clothes. There is a lot less measuring.

*wow she's fast. The guys'll take much longer than us working at the blacksmith's if she keeps up this speed*

"ya... its not that he's unskilled that he gets hurt... but that he wants to fight so much that wounds are bound to happen. He'll rush into a fight knowing he's outnumbered, just to show he can beat them all.... doesn't mean he doesn't come out unscathed. He's kinda an idiot, but he's still my hero and has always come to my rescue when i truely needed it. a couple of the scars on his body are because of me, and i just have to get better so too many more don't add up. If i get my first aid up high enough and can sew, than maybe his scars wont be as large at least." She blushes realizing she may have gone off on another 'Tokara rant', not everyone understood her brother, and she was glad of it or there would be more women after him!

Still holding very still so as to not interfere with Avril, she realizes the woman is almost done with the robe. "God i love it when my wings are free! Its like someone is holding down your very arms and legs when they're restrained. You do good work!"

"Thank you for the compliment." Says Avril as she continues working on the robes. Avril then thinks about what Falabella had said about being able to rely on Tokara. "It must feel great having someone that you can rely on" Says Avril half thinking out loud. Avril makes a few final adjustments before finishing. "There, all done with this at least. Are you sure that you want to use the excess as bandages? You may be able to use it for something different. I think bandages are a good idea, but once I make them they will not be easy to make into anything else."

"Ya bandages are good. I'm so small that i'll have plenty of leather left over for more armor even after my armor is made. Considering how big those chaps are... one leg will probably be enough for the corset And glove."

Thinking about Tokara again... she has to admit his faults as well as his good points. "i can rely on him... to be an idiot as well as a smart ass who tried to ditch me! God, what a jerk!.... oh well, i found him and he can't get rid of me this time, i owe him too much money and he wont let me escape... thank god or he would have left me here, again. He'll hit on anything without a penis or hooves so I have to keep him safe from the bad ones.. or just all of them. ugh... but he always saves me, so no matter if he's an idiot or not, he's my most important person"

"If you don't have someone to rely on, you have to be that person. I'm jealous of him, I want to be relied upon too, so I try to be stronger, maybe I'll get to save his life one day."

Fiddleing with her new robe, she watches Avril turning the remains into bandages, she runs into the changing room again, putting her shorts on under her robe. Never can be too safe for modesty's sake, one trip of flying over someone's head and opps. She emerges from the changing room, looks like Avril's's almost done the bandages already. "How many do you think there'll be?"

Avril made the leftover cloth into bandages. When she was done there were 12 bandages. She then thought for a second, in order to make Falabella's glove she would first need to make Falabella's corset. However she wasn't sure if she wanted to do that or her own planned clothing first. After a short debate she decided to start work on Falabella's corset.

First she cuts and shapes one leg of the chaps and then gets the layers of leather that she will need for the corset. She starts working on the corset and then mentions an important part of making the corset later on. "I have your measurements and can get it done well just based off from them, but before I make the finishing touches we should probably put it on over your shirt and make sure everything seems to fit proportionately and then once it's back off you I can make it a little but tighter so that it fits you well." The only reason for doing this was to make herself absolutely certain that it would fit well.

"Having it fit tightly over the robe should be fine, as long as it laces in the front I can tighten it a little bit later if I decide not to wear anything under it. For now it'll go over the robe"

Falabella stands there waiting for her next fitting, thinking about what life will be like from now on. Happy that she gets to be with Tokara, but being fitted for her gear is making her realize that they will be fighting unknown odds now. She only hopes she will not be a burden. Oh well, it wasn't in her nature to be serious for too long.

"Just let me know when it's ready for me"

Avril continues working on the corset and is sewing it together now. Even she was a little surprised at how well it was coming out. As she finishes sewing it together she looks over to Falabella. "All right, it's ready for you to try on. In theory it should fit but we won't no for sure until you try it on. I'm also not sure how it'll fit around your wings." says Avril. Thinking of the wings she realized that the piece she cut out for them would do nicely to making that glove.

((checking to see if you read my corset info in equipment. I said i'd described it to you in a post but didn't write it in the post to keep it shorter))

Excited to get it on, she quickly grabs the collar first. Wrapping it around her neck she lets the sewn on leather strip hang down her back between her wings where it'll be attached at the right length to the corset.

Putting the corset at her back first, checking to see if it was low enough to not interferre with her wings, all looked good there. Wrapping it up around her sides, making sure it was tight, she meets the two ends in front and sees that the laces would just be in the right place so she could tighten it, once she wanted it laced.

"How does it look?" Holding it in place incase Avril wanted to adjust anything, she doesn't lace it up yet, a thin strip of leather would work good. "Now we can see the a comfortable length for the back strap so i can move without strangling myself"

"It looks good." says Avril who had already cut out the leather lace and was waiting for the right time to have it laced. Once Falabella moved it she would adjust the back strap and then feed the lace through. Where it was front laced Falabella should then be able to tighten the laces to the proper tightness. "So does it feel like it fits fine? Because it looks like it's pretty good." asks Avril just checking to make sure it wasn't too uncomfortable. Where it is a leather corset though she can't imagine it could be too comfortable.

"It's great, fits perfectly" Falabella holds the front together, letting Avril lace it up starting with the bottom, working her way up. Being on top of the robe kept the leather from rubbing her against her skin, making it extremely comfortable. The leather was flexible from being made from used materials, so movement wasn't an issue.

Fully laced now, she turns her back to Avril with the collar around her neck already. She lets the strap fall between her wings, its end not yet attached to her corset. Bending forward, it gives her the length she needs for her maximum movement, don't want to have it attached too short and strangle herself whenever she bends forward, but when standing upright, it should rest on her spine, protecting it from some attacks.

Avril adjusts the back strap to where Falabella tells her it is comfortable. She then goes over to the material she had set out for the glove and realizes she had not yet made the measurements for Falabella's hand. She goes back over and gets the measurements and then goes back and starts cutting the leather for her glove. Once she has it cut out the sides are easy to sew together into a glove. When she is finished she hands the glove to Falabella. "Now I just need to make my own and I'll be done.

"Thank you so much, you do such a nice job now, I almost can't wait to see what you can make when your skill level goes up."

Falabella puts the glove on her left hand, and barely manages to not say 'Fits like a Glove'... barely. "It fits perfectly" Fingerless except for the middle finger, it may look odd, but if it serves her purpose, she really doesn't care what other people think. Not being blessed with Fire Magic, she was always jealous of those with it. Fire could be used as a highly offensive magic, and in being so it could have been useful to Tokara... but alas she was born in Ventus, and Wind is her calling. Too bad she couldn't fully control something as troublesome as the wind yet. But this glove will give her a small amout of natural fire, just enough for her to use it however she saw fit.

She looks at herself, fully armored *Damn, I look pretty good for wearing modified Crap the guards gave us* A robe fitted to her with a corset over it attached to her collar that protects her throat, and a leather glove that can make fire... not too bad.

"I can only hope my skills will help our small group out as much as yours have"

Avril smiles, "Thanks for the compliments." she says as she starts piecing together the leather she had already cut out for her skirted shorts. She already knows her own measurements so this will be much faster than the other things especially since the hard part, of cutting the material, was done. She stitched the shorts section together and then started sewing the skirt onto the shorts. She took extra care to stitch the skirt on really well as it would be easy to have torn off. When she finishes she takes it into the changing room to put it on.