Open Open, Open, Opening Up

[Rosela]

Timestamp: 1st of Winter, 514AV
Location: Red Diamond Fashions

Rosela stopped in the women’s section mirror to straighten her fur stole once more. She looked just fine, but felt she would go mad if she allowed herself to go by a mirror and not tidy her appearance. Today was a big day – her day.

After almost two seasons closed and a frantic amount of work after returning to consciousness just thirty days ago, she was reopening Red Diamond Fashions.

There was no line at the door, no faces pressed anxiously against the window, but Rosela still felt the eyes of Riverfall judging her. There would be no mistaking her growing belly and this would be the first time publicly displaying herself since awaking from her coma. She dressed finely for the day, in expensive wool and chiffon with an empire waist that neither hid nor proclaimed her pregnancy. To ward off the chill, she pinned a red stole over her shoulders with a gold broach. She resented that the gems in the brooch were only glass, but she still couldn’t afford diamonds and had to trust it wasn’t too obvious.

As Hudon, her desk clerk, sat at the front desk and ignored her neurotic pacing, Rosela made another round of the shop floor, checking that everything was in order. Men’s clothes were to the right of the store, making them unavoidably easy to find for the vast male population of the city. Behind the men’s section were the changing rooms and her fitting station. Women’s clothing were to the left, with the store fireplace and intimates section in the back. To the far left of the store, past the front desk, were accessories and hats, as well as a shelf and display counter for hair products and makeup, respectively. There wasn’t a wide selection there as the cosmetics and hair supplies were made by Red Diamond’s previous cosmetologist, though few would know unless they’d visited previously. Rosela was working on her own makeup line, but until her creations were sale-ready, the current inventory would simply break even with the cost of their supplies.

“It’s 8 bells,” Hudon intoned from the other side of the shop, absently twirling a pencil. Like so much of Riverfall, he had changed dramatically during her time asleep, but he was still polite and willing to do the job so she’d asked him to return. “You want me to unlock the door?”

”No, no, no, I’ll do it.” Rosela hurried over in a flutter of chiffon. She wanted this moment to herself. With great gravity that she knew with absolute certainty no one else would share, she carefully unlocked the door and flipped the Closed sign to Open.

[Shane Wallsly]

Shane's clothing had once been, to put it mildly, simply acceptable. A blue cloth to cover his chest, sleeveless brown jacket to keep him warm, brown trousers and black shoes. They'd covered his body, kept him warm and, at the every least, respectable enough. However owning and wearing one outfit for several years is quite a feat. A feat usually unpracticed for very obvious reasons. One such example being that even if one washed the clothes regularly and kept themselves away from most sources that cling to clothing they would certainly acquire many stains and eventually stink to some degree. Shane himself had never much cared for his own appearance but he knew to keep himself at least viably smart or people would put upon him a lower status than he had earned in his lifetime.

He had certainly earned a higher status than what his clothes now spoke of him. He was no nobleman nor even wealthy merchant but he wasn't a beggar and he was, if by the slightest measure, a merchant of some degree with a coin surplus that he could have only dreamed of in years gone by. He had climbed some in Syliras and, though he slunk back down the ladder by coming to Riverfall, he had enough to put the brakes on before he fell off altogether.

So it was that when Shane heard of the re-opening of the finest clothing merchant in Riverfall Shane had made a note to stop by. His clothes were old and the last physical reminder of where he had started from. Those were not the only reasons he found himself striding down the street at ninth bell on the first day of winter but they would have been enough in any case.

Shane gazed at his reflection in a passing shop window. There was much that he could see in such tiny glimpses but it had been a long while since he had set eyes on himself. Perhaps that was his own doing. The thought made him stop. He was only a shop or two away now but he wanted to look at himself. There was bound to be a looking glass within and he would rather not be surprised by what he saw. The first thing he saw were his big ears. Those were his fathers, so said his mother. They were unimportant. Then the eyes that shone back at him in the half reflection of the glass window. They seemed more silver in the sun's gaze but he knew them to be a lighter blue. His physical features were not why he was looking. He wanted to see himself as a body.

He cast his eyes upon himself again. He was pretty slim but not quite underfed. He was decent height but small by the standards of the multicoloured hulks that called this city home. His clothes were, admittedly, a bit tattered. He was missing his scarf altogether for what seemed like a long time ago he'd tried to save a dying boy by binding his wound with it. It had been too soaked with blood to be used again. He could not even remember where he had left it but every now and again he would go to put it on in the morning and wonder where it had went until that cruel memory resurfaced. Shane turned away from his reflections. He had seen enough of himself. He had found nothing he hadn't already seen. He was as he had always been and no matter what melancholy thoughts filled his head this morning a simple change of clothing was not going to change what he saw.

He strode down the street swiftly coming to the shop he sought. The sign on the door read open so he pushed his way into the shop. As he passed the threshhold he felt the gold coins in his pocket. He had the sudden feeling that he would have a significantly less amount of them when finally he passed this threshold again...

[Gwin]

OOCHere you have a slightly different customer. I wonder what'll happen.


To tell the truth, Gwin had hardly noticed how the Watchstone had changed color. Temperatures were chilly as always and the streets had been growing less bustling, more deserted for days. Personally, the Akvatari didn’t mind the cold, not at all. If anything, it took away the audience for her music. While that irritated her, it wasn’t enough to invoke serious concern.

The air at Blue Gem was though. She’d spent several days holed up inside, drawing lines and notes on parchment with an ink stick, humming little melodies to herself, trying to catch sounds and voices in her vicinity. The latter had been largely futile, of course.

So she fluttered upstairs and out to escape the stuffy air and take a few breaths of salty ocean breeze. As turquoise butterfly wings carried her higher, Gwin inhaled deeply to save that sweet fragrance and promise. Hadn’t she lingered in Riverfall long enough? Wasn’t it time to move on? Alas, that wasn’t for her to decide, not anymore… A fraction of her old melancholy gripped the Akvatari and woke emotions that had been gathering dust for a season.

As she glided through the streets, however, whatever had stirred settled again. The wintry silence in the air soothed her feelings and calmed her thoughts until Gwin was reminded of a frozen lake. Whatever happened, good or bad, nothing mattered. Except music. Except art and beauty.

Speaking of beauty, something was glittering behind that window. Flitting closer, she recognized the shapes in the window as clothed dolls and the glitter as jewelry at their necks, wrists, even in their face. With narrowed eyes, Gwin observed the shop window for some time. Then her expression brightened and she entered through the front door. The ‘open’ sign seemed so new and eager!

Naturally, the Akvatari didn’t even have a shred of interest in fashion. She’d been wearing the same black strip of fabric across her torso for longer than she could remember. Time, water and sea salt had worn it badly. If one looked closely, one would detect grey salt stains. Her blonde locks were slightly tangled as well. Still, she appreciated the elegance and taste that the cuts and colors in the window had suggested. What was fashion other than art covering the bodies of bipedals? If it was like that, Gwin just had to see more of it.

[Alcor]

OocNow to make your job even more difficult Also I hope this post wasn't too short. Clothing was a bit of an issue for Alcor, With his varying forms it was very hard to find clothing that was compatible. He was given a pair of pants and a shirt by a kind stranger when he had first fell to Mizahar but discovered that when mourning came the gifts were torn to pieces. Alcor was forced to tear a strip of fabric from the tattered shirt to cover his chest and use the rest of the scraps to make a long makeshift skirt. Coupled with the fact that he usually looked depressed during the day didn't help with his general appearance. Of course being in his predicament, looking desirable was the last thing on his mind. At least it wasn't until the curse in the Fall hit and everything changed. With his melancholy suddenly gone he found himself caring about trivial things he would have never given the slightest thought to before. While on a shopping trip for soulmist ingredients he spotted another Akvatari enter a nearby shop. Upon seeing the lovely clothing on display he felt compelled to follow her and see if this mysterious store had anything that would work for his particular needs. When he got closer he took another look at the clothing, the stitch work was fantastic and the patterns in use were memorizing. It had been a while since the Ethaefal had sought out beautiful distractions, having been freed from his own crippling sadness he didn't need anything to raise his spirits. He let himself gawk at the displays for a few chimes before finally entering the store.

[Rosela]

OOC :

Sorry for the delay, holidays put me under for a little while… This should be an interesting thread with everyone at once, so bear with me on any awkwardness!

”Come again!” Four hands clasped primly in front of her, Rosela waved to the exiting Konti, her third customer of the day. The woman waved back and was gone from view out the door, the bulky package containing her new cloak tucked under her arm. Rosela had profoundly disappointed herself by failing to convince her to also buy a new belt for her husband, who she remembered from the spring. There were a pair of human women in the back of the store, giggling over lingerie, but they had embarrassedly refused Rosela’s offer of help.

As she moved to straighten a stack of men’s trousers, the door creaked open again, letting in a waft of cold air. Forcibly prohibiting herself from shivering, she turned on the spot and smiled. ”Welcome to Red Diamond Fashions. Is there anything I can help you find today?” The young man who walked in was utterly typical of many of the men that entered her store, short of being Akalak and relatively small of frame. He wore old, cheap, mildly dirty clothes, and an apprehensive look on his face, a look she was far too acquainted with. How could simple clothing shopping worry so many men?

As they talked, Rosela became indelicately distracted by a figure outside the display window. At first, she saw only a woman’s torso, if unusually tall. It was only when the woman moved between mannequins that she noticed anything different. A blur of wings fluttered on her back and below her waist was….something. Not legs anyway. She immediately felt guilty for gawking and ripped her attention back to the young man at center. Of all people, she knew was it was like to be stared at and was irritated with herself for perpetrating it.

When the flying…woman fluttered into the shop, Rosela discreetly left the young man to browse and approached the front. Hudon, over at the front desk, was eyeing her as well, but kept his head down. Rosela allowed herself only the most casual of look-overs as she moved closer, forcing herself to focus on the woman’s face. She was practically bare – did she need clothes at all? ”Hello there, welcome to Red Diamond Fashions. Is there anything I can help you find?” Licking her lips, she gestured to the woman’s clothing section behind her. ”If you find anything you like, I’d be happy to do some alterations for your…” Her gaze threatened to drop to the woman’s lower half, but she blinked the instinct away and focused over her shoulders. ”…Your wings. Free of charge,” she added with a smile, guilty for her own shock. Alterations were usually free anyway, but she hoped the woman took the offer as it was meant, in kindness.

Interrupting their exchange, a third figure entered the store, this one also a winged creature, a man. In spite of herself, her surprise registered on her face for a moment before she quickly buried it under a professional mask. ”Ahem, ah, welcome to Red Diamond Fashions. Please let me know if there’s anything I can help you find. As I’ve just mentioned-” Going out on a limb, she gestured briefly to the winged woman who’d preceded him, praying they knew each other. ”If you find something you like, I’d be happy to provide free alterations to accommodate your wings.” Pleased with herself for providing the pitch she should have on the first try, she smiled warmly and glanced back at the rest of the store, at the two women who had now moved to the shampoo section, scraps of silk clutched discreetly in their hands, and then to the browsing human man.

[Shane Wallsly]

He had never seen such an exotic looking shop before. The place was very fashionably decorated and stocked clothes of a wide range. He was quite impressed with the whole thing. He had certainly came to the right place but now, as he surveyed all the clothes on sale, he found he was at a complete loss as to what he should actually purchase. Luckily he was not alone long before a well dressed woman came to his aid.

“Ah, hello. I'm Shane. Nice to meet you.” Shane greeted her offering a hand to shake. That was when he noticed she had a little bit more arms than usual. Shane wasn't sure whether to offer another hand, take back the one he had offered or apologise profusely. He withdrew the hand with a quick, awkward “Sorry.” There was an awkward pause. “I need clothes. I've only the one set and I've recently came into a lot of money. I need formal and informal outfits for rainy weather and hot weather and snow. I need-[/b]” He trailed of as he noticed the woman seemed a bit distracted.

He turned to follow her sight line. He saw then a familiar sight. A woman he had met not so many days ago in the park. She played beautiful music for him. She was a strange creature though and Shane could immediately sense what might have been worrying the woman. There was undoubtedly no clothes in this store that would accommodate for wings. If Gwin wanted some clothes someone would have to alter them for her. “Oh, please go ahead and help out that woman. I can wait. I'll just, umm, browse.” Shane told the pretty, tanned woman and went to sift through the nearest pile of man's clothing.

OOCSorry about the delay here. I didn't know there'd been a reply by Rosela.

[Gwin]

OOCSry for the delay as well. Exams are happening next week.


The glances that came to rest on her, practically burning holes into her shoulders, didn’t surprise Gwin. They never did, not so far from Akvatar Isle. The woman who rushed over to greet her appeared to be not human either, merely humanoid, although more so than the Akvatari. Instead of wings she featured more arms than were probably necessary for survival, exotic dark skin and glossy hair. Gwin noted the care she’d painted her face and was wearing her clothes with, even more than the growing belly. It reminded her of statues, so polished and meticulously prepared. It seemed the clothier didn’t only design her wares with special care, but also the appearance she showed customers.

As she opened her mouth, however, Gwin grew increasingly uncomfortable. Her words left no doubt as to the purpose of the designs, colors and cuts on display. They weren’t meant to be merely stared at… Would it be rude to wander around and observe without buying anything? Gwin couldn’t tell. The best way to find out would be doing what other customers did, but the woman had practically jumped on her as soon as she’d entered. The corners of her mouth twitched, not quite forming a tense smile.

“Hello. I’m Gwin. That’s a nice thing to offer.” She hesitated, turquoise gaze wandering off to the clothes all around them. How did bipedals even decide what they wanted to wear out of all those things? “To be honest, I wasn’t looking for anything in particular. I just saw the clothing in the window and found it really pretty.” She bit her lip. As an artist, she should be able to come up with more elaborate compliments!

Another arrival cut short her agonizing. Half turning, she was astonished to find another winged creature fluttering in. Obviously a fellow Akvatari, although he didn’t bear any resemblance to Calters, the only other Akvatari she’d met in Riverfall. How did their wings carry so many of their kind into the Akalak city? Just thinking about it made her head hurt, so she stopped and forced some words out instead. “I didn’t know there was another of our kind in town…” Trailing off, she lingered between the shop owner and the unexpected customer. Would she mind if they had a chat in her shop? What else was she supposed to say?

For the time being, Gwin could only stare at the other Akvatari with his blue-black wings and lavender fur. She ached to find out what he did here, what kind of artist he was, what his wishes and goals were, but still she stood frozen.

[Alcor]

Once through the doors, Alcor had planned to simply look at what was available. However, a sales women took notice of both him and the Akvatari he had followed in and began giving them what he assumed was her best sales pitch. The Ethaefal caught a glimpse of shock on the women's finely painted face before she seamlessly regained the proper composure of a merchant. The saleswomen most likely didn’t see too many Akvatari’s in her store and considering their physiology it was little wonder. Knowing this it was also likely that she didn’t have anything available to deal with wings especially during winter. So her offer was most likely a subtle way of stating that anything he wanted would have to be made custom. The Ethaefal was so busy listening to the sales women's pitch that he didn’t notice at first that she had more arms than usual and he gave the same look of shock that she had given him not to long ago. He however lacked her social graces and let his dumb founded look hang on his face more than he really should have. He tried his best to pretend like he didn’t just act like a rude idiot and forced his face into something more neutral or even pleasant. He actually surprised himself since he often lamented people staring at him like some kind of bizarre exhibit and here he was doing the very same thing. The Akvatari women responded to the multi armed store owner before he could stating that she was only there because she found the clothing “pretty”. Alcor didn’t know too much of the race of his past life but what he did know was that they were artisans with a love of language so he expected a compliment that was more substantial to come from her mouth. He thought maybe it was more of a complement out of courtesy but soon realized that it was most likely the curse at work again. It would seem that looks of awe had become contagious because the Akvatari looked back at him and opened her sparkling purple eyes wide. She mumbled something about not knowing about another of her kind being in the city. Alcor had followed her here but he hadn’t thought of what he would do if they started to interact. She seemed eager to meet another of her kind but Alcor was no Akvatari, and he would have to break the news to her. “I’m actually an Ethaefal…This is only the body of one of my past lives…its why I came here..I don’t always have a Tail and I may need some assistance with finding some new clothes” Alcor gave a nervous sigh to calm his nerves before he continued mostly in the direction of the many armed women “I would like to discuss having some altercations made to a shirt once I find one I like but in the mean time could I be directed to maybe some..uh long skirts?” It was embarrassing to ask the saleswomen for an article of clothing usually reserved for women but it was what he needed. He looked back to the Akvatari hovering on verdant wings next to him “If you could accompany me and maybe teach me about your…or perhaps our people…that would be appreciated…” It was such an awkward situation, but Alcor really did want to learn more about his past lives, particularly of the one he inhabited during the day. As Alcor fluttered on his way he could sense the faint presence of another magic user but since the Ethaefal was only a novice he didn’t have a very good idea of who it was. He glaced across to the mens side and caught the eyes of a young human but his gaze quickly averted as he went back to trying to find a more gender neutral skirt.

[Rosela]

OOC :

I have to admit, part of the huge delay in my response is because I'm discovering that a 3-way thread done this way is super awkward… I’m trying a different division of my post below, where it’s implied she leaves and comes back to each person where it’s appropriate, while getting rid of the awkwardness of every single person having to rp her coming and going at the beginning and end of every post. It also lets everyone post out of order, since I can respond individually. Let’s see if we can make this work and get everyone in and out with a fabulous new look!

Shane
After leaving the two winged people to their shopping, Rosela returned to the young man who’d come in before them. ”Are you finding everything okay? Formal, informal, rainy, hot, snow… It sounds like you’re looking for some items that are as versatile as possible.” It seemed like a safe bet to make. Her wealthier clients had no problem buying garments for every situation and weather condition, but this one didn’t seem like the type. ”Let’s just start with outerwear and work our way in, okay?”

She smiled warmly as she moved to the cloak section and tried to keep her voice warm and friendly. ”While we do have very heavy winter cloaks, I’d maybe recommend something a little lighter, like heavy wool, or fur-lined if you want something a little fancier. That’ll be plenty warm for fall and early spring, and you can still dress warmly underneath to make it work for winter. Layers in general are going to be your friend. Shirts are going to be the same way, but we’ll get to those.”

Pausing to rearrange a pair of cloaks on the rack, she put two of each kind, fur-lined and not, at the top. They’re both nice enough that they can work for formal and informal situations, unless you’re going to be really active outside in them. The nicest cloak will still look cheap if it’s been drug under a horse a dozen times. Do you know Nell? Over at the city stables? Oh what’s her last name…” She paused in thought, trying to remember, before shaking the thought away with a hand. ”I forget, but she’s really nice, and came in for a new cloak the other day. I swear, I think she lets the horses sleep on these things; they get more raggedy than anyone else’s I’ve seen. Anyway, I finally talked her into just getting two cloaks – a nice one for around town, and a cheap wool one for when she’s in the stables. You see what I mean?”

Realizing she was running on, she stopped herself with a self-depreciating laugh. ”Anyway, if I can get to my point… Do you think you’ll need one or two cloaks?”

Gwin & Alcor
OOCIf you guys want to have a separate chat, feel free! Just send Rosela off and she’ll pop back in every now and then to make sure you’re okay. Alternately, I can address you individually if you split up to look around.
Rosela, more than used to odd looks at her arms, took each of their reactions in stride. She felt bad enough for staring at them herself, and given their less than familiar reactions to each other, realized she’d miscalculated in assuming they were together. Stupid, stupid, she mentally kicked herself. The word ‘Ethaefel’ ticked off her mind and she mentally returned to two summers prior, where she’d stumbled upon the astonishing transformation unfolding on a streetcorner.

”Thank you, I appreciate that,” she addressed to the female, pleasure flooding her cheeks with color. ”I’m very happy my display window worked! Please feel free to look around, both of you.” She spread her hands to indicate them both. ”Skirts are the third aisle on the left. This is the season for stark colors, so there’s plenty that will be gender neutral. They’re mostly wool for the winter, but if you find a style you like, I can check our storage to find it in something lighter.”

It was another calculated assumption, one she felt better about than her first with the pair. Neither were dressed warmly, only in the amount of clothing that she herself would dare in the height of summer. She envied their unconcern with the cold, as even in the warmth of her shop, she still wanted to bundle up further. ”I just don’t know how you’re surviving the weather out there! Are you from the north? Too much snow for me.”

She could drum up some manner of familiarity with most people who walked through her doors, but something about these two seemed…down. Subdued. It was different than the anxiety or even fear that some exhibited upon visiting her shop, and she wasn’t sure how to work with it. On another hand, it could simply be the demeanor of two people who didn’t know one another.