Becoming Drykas (Dymphna)

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"Two, I think," he said softly, erring on the side of thrift. He could always use his current clothes for especially dirty work, wearing them out until they were rags, of which he could still probably make some use. Thrift would have to become his way now more than ever if he was going to purchase a pavilion, grow a herd, and eventually a family. "I think," he continued, putting together snippets of things he had heard here and there, "that the most important things are going to be riding boots and vambraces. And pants so I don't chafe. So, I mean, I'll spend more money on the things that are most necessary. Decoration can come later. Not that I don't need shirts, but... you know."

[Dymphna]

“That is true. And you’ll want to take into account that the weather will get colder, so you’ll want warmer material in your clothes. So on shirts perhaps one of linen and one of wool. That way you’ll have a variety for the shifting fall weather?” She looked at him as she moved over to a table where shirts rested. “It’s a shame I don’t know how to sew. We could save you quite a bit of money. Of course, I could always learn… My sister has always wanted to teach me. She says I don’t have many desirable skills when it comes to my future as a wife. And pants are supposed to be easy enough. That's typically the first thing you learn to make. You could buy one pair and some fabric for more… Then you’d have something to wear. I mean, my workload drops dramatically after the Fall Hunt. Especially the winter months. I’d like to learn, so I can help you… You know, save for your pavilion.”

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"That sounds reasonable," he said, nodding in agreement, basically in order to sound reasonable. He realized he didn't know the first thing about all this. New clothes were not something he was accustomed to. "I'll need new blankets for Dohaina, too, though... I suppose we will be farther south when it starts getting really cold. And an yvas." It was rather embarrassing to ride a Strider in his Windrunner's saddle, but he had to make do with what he had. "Well... I... I don't want you to learn just on my account. But if you want to practice on a pair of pants, I could, you know, lend you some material. I should also get some leather pants. Riding leathers, you know. I spend most days in the saddle, but some clothes ones would be nice for... When I'm not riding or whatever."

[Dymphna]

“Oh, no. It’s not a problem. I mean… I should learn, shouldn’t I? My sister’s right? Sewing is supposed to be important. The leather is on the other side of the shop. In the other pavilion. We’ll make it there in a moment.” She turned her head a little to point in that direction before looking at him. For a moment she seemed completely unsure what to do, but then she took his arm and ever-so-gently tugged him over to the wool shirts. She placed him in front of them and then rolled up onto her toes, placing her chin on his shoulder as she looked over it. Her eyes shifted over to look at him, wide like an owl’s, as she asked quietly, “Do you see anything you like?”

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Deferring to her expertise, he just nodded as she moved him around, and tensed up around a sudden shiver to keep it from erupting completely like one of Ivak's volcanoes. His skin was probably burning her through the thin, worn out material of his shirt. When he could connect what she said with actual ideas, he began running his fingers over various shirts, marveling at something he had rarely touched: new fabric. "Ah, this one? Or... maybe this one? It's soft. Would it be durable? I can't afford a new wardrobe every year..." He was, clearly, trying to show how fiscally responsible he could be now he had a reason to be.

[Dymphna]

“You may have to buy a few more things as you go along. But not full wardrobes. To rotate things in while others are getting mended and patched. I’ve always had a theory that one of the reasons our people started embroidering is to patch and cover holes. Hems, necklines, and cuffs wear quickly…” Not breaking contact, she leaned to feel the wool he was speaking of. In order to do so, she pressed her body against him. Suddenly she was all too aware of what she was doing as her heartbeat picked up. She did her very best not to pull away too quickly, not wanting him to think something was wrong. But her cheeks were hot, and she was rather sure they were red in blush. Her thumb rubbed at the fabric. She considered it for a long moment while trying to make the flutter in her gut fade out. Finally she nodded, saying, “The softer the wool in this case the more durable it will be… Because the fibers have been worked together tightly first and then softened. It won’t shrink as much if you sweat against it.” She glanced at him.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

He nodded at her speculations as to the evolution of Drykas couture, and tried not to freeze up when she leaned in close to him. She didn't seem like the type of girl who liked to willfully torment a boy, but she was certainly doing a good job of inadvertently making his stomach do back flips and belly flops. If this continued, he was going to have to be careful about what he ate for a few hours or he would get all farty with nerves. "So... this is a good choice?" he asked, truly out of his element and just wanting someone to tell him he was doing the right thing.

[Dymphna]

“I think it’s a very good choice,” she said with a soft smile. She moved finally to stand next to his side again, reaching out to pick up one of the shirts. “Here…” She twisted enough that she could hold the shirt up against him to see if it was the right size. With a tiny nod, she put it over her arm. “Linen isn’t as hard to pick as wool, I think. Mostly anything works. You don’t want anything too thin, though, because it will wear faster than the thicker. So…” She started looking over the table again. There was a pause as she came across a shirt of slightly lesser quality than the finer ones, but it had a bit of embroidery to it that she thought was pretty. She lifted an eyebrow and pointed to it.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"All right," he agreed, deferring to her knowledge in this arena. And when she indicated the shirt with the embroidery, he picked it up, putting it over his arm. It was certainly nice, and definitely looked like Drykas handiwork, which was the point. He just trusted her eye more than his own, and everything was going to feel alien to him for a while, even if it was his own culture. "So that's shirts," he said, trying to sound decisive. Though he was following her lead, he wanted to sound like he had some say it what was happening. Of course, it was his money he would spend, so ultimately he did have a say. He just felt the need to assert it. Silly.

[Dymphna]

She smiled brightly over the fact that he liked the shirt she’d picked out for him. It bolstered her confidence the slightest bit, because she’d been a little afraid that maybe being out of his culture had given him exotic tastes in clothing – Though why she was worried about that was beyond her. She just was. “Next pants? Do you have socks and underwear? You do wear them, right?” She paused, looking up at him with a very serious look on her face. “You’re going to have to wear them here if you’re planning on wearing leather pants.”