Buy Me A Rose

[Gossamer]

Timestamp: Early Winter, 514 AV

The woman breezed through the doorway of The Red Diamond with a young man on her heels. She was human, aging, perhaps about forty and the boy was Akalak though he looked near his twenties and just on the cusp of being a man. More than likely he was already through one or two of his rites of passage, but his overall demeanor screamed of babysitting duty or designated package hauler as if he'd been in some sort of trouble and this was his punishment.

"My dear... yes yes... this will do." The woman said, looking around in satisfaction at the wares held on tables and shelves in the Red Diamond. "Jon luv, go find yourself a beer or something for the next bell. I'm going to be a while in here for sure. Your mother has coin to spend and an aging wardrobe that needs replacement. But be sure to check back in a bell, alright? I'll need help with my purchases for certain." The woman said, then looked around in anticipation, her hawkish gaze seeking any sort of proprietor or proprietress. She pulled out a fan, even though there was the chill of winter in the air, and fanned herself lightly. Somehow, she managed to fan herself and relieved herself of her cloak unasked. The woman hung it over her arm and frowned as if she half expected a servant or sales girl to assist her in hanging it.

"I'm Sanisha Iorona. I had an appointment." She announced confidently, in case people were in the back and didn't hear the bells above the door.
"Anyone about? Anyone?" She asked watching her son leave as she impatiently began to browse the premade clothing. It was obvious, though, that nothing premade would probably be suitable for her. She was one of those tall narrow women, with a lack of curves, but an overabundance of unruly silver-streaked hair that seemed to curl of its own accord. It was tucked neatly up under a flowered hat, one that was wrought to exactly match the flowered cloak now draped over her arm.

The woman was ... garish... at best. Though more than likely she would have styled herself 'eccentric'.

[Rosela]

Rosela had developed, with no small amount of horror, a slight waddle. Her belly was growing ever wider and the Oathmaster had informed her that she was around the very middle of her pregnancy. In the mirror, she could tell she had so much further to go, but when looking down and realizing it would be whole seasons before she’d see her feet again…she despaired. For the time being, she could arch her back enough to hide her change in gait, but it wouldn’t last. Her Talvis’ careful and considerate attention to her diet allowed her to avoid too much weight gain, but there was no getting around the fact that the worst was yet to come.

Her boots were a saving grace, though she had to squeeze a little harder into them every day. The heels were thick enough to still be comfortable to wear and they thankfully hid her swollen ankles. Even with an ever-expanding belly, heels making her legs look long under her fluttery chiffon still made the look at least bearable. As winter dragged on, she was getting better at managing the cold as well, but kept the luxurious red fur stole for a splash of color against her black dress.

At the moment, she was waddling around the back room, uncaring if the shadows saw her duck-like movements. They hadn’t vocalized any teasing yet, but every now and then, she thought she heard a snicker from behind the loom. Hudon, despite his change from cheery professional to somber task-trudger, had also spared her any such comments, but he also knew he was on thin ice as it was.

In one set of hands, Rosela carried a stack of large men’s trousers from the front, and she carefully exchanged them for a set of medium sizes to bring back out. Messy winter weather sold pants like hotcakes and she felt she was constantly restocking. She hated to see shelves less than full and wanted the store to look brimming in time for her next appointment. In the front of the store, she heard the bell of the front door ring and unconsciously listened for Hudon’s regular greeting. Only the woman’s second call greeted her ears though and her stomach dropped in a way that had nothing to do with the baby. The word ‘appointment’ rang in her ears and panic set in. Of all times… Where had that insufferable man gone?

Clutching the trousers to her chest, she waddled quickly back to the door, taking a moment to correct her posture, and pushed quickly through. ”I’m terribly sorry,” she called the moment she was through. ”Welcome to Red Diamond Fashions. I’m-“ As she made her way to the front as quickly as was graceful, the door to the philtering lab opened and through it strolled her desk clerk, looking utterly nonchalant and holding two shampoo bottles. He had the grace to look sheepish as he took in the new client, oddly fanning herself in the dead of winter, and Rosela’s tight smile. ”Hudon, please take Ms. Iorona’s cloak.” Two hands set the stack of trousers down and a third gestured to the aged woman standing at the front. Every ounce of her wanted to scold Hudon soundly, but she knew better than to do it in front of a client.

And of all clients, not Sanisha Iorona.

It felt unnatural to her to address someone by their last name, but she broke out the distinctly non-Eyktolian custom when she wanted to emphasize respect. Rosela knew little about the woman, but she knew someone in money when she saw one, and Ms. Iorona had the…eccentric style of someone with too much money to spend on clothing and not enough advice on how to do it properly. Many of those in the upper crust of Riverfall had their own personal tailors, a position Rosela coveted and competed fiercely for. The young messenger who’d created the appointment had left a her in a flutter of excitement the moment he left.

As Hudon took the woman’s cloak and hung it next to the front desk, Rosela felt it was safe to approach. Four hands clasped primly over her belly, another gestured to the women’s section, and a third hovered by her elbow, but did not touch. ”Please, what can I help you find today?”

[Gossamer]

"Please dear, call me Sanisha." The widow said, laughing lightly at Rosela's formality. "No one has called me Ms. Iorona since the days I sat on the Citizens Council and that truthfully annoyed me." She admitted, shaking her head. She pulled forth a stack of letters from her handbag, waved them under Rosela's nose, and then tucked them back in her bag.

"My youngest sister and two of our other siblings in Syliras have just sent word they have been draped. I do not know if you are familiar with this, but they were assigned a season and a range of colors they could wear. One of my sisters is an Autumn, one is a Spring, and one a Summer. I do NOT want to travel to Syliras to have this done. But in the interest of keeping up on the latest trends with my family, I would also like to be draped, assigned a season, and order a whole new wardrobe to show off the colors that best suit my skin." The Widow said, chuckling slightly. This was a typical Akalak widow, for certain. The Akalaks lived a lengthy time, accumulated wealth fairly easily if they were ambitious, and when they died often left a fortune to their wives.

'My sisters wrote in depth too. They got things like Romantic Colors from the pinched flush of their cheeks and the coloring of their lips or the chill their skin takes on when its cold. They got their energy colors as well from certain points in their eyes. There's even a set of colors they were given based on the shading of their veins visible on the undersides of their wrists. I so want my colors done too. Can you accommodate a woman that wants to keep up with the trends? Then I'd like recommendations on hair style, cut, color, and even makeup with the option to pick up some cosmetics here. I know you are just a simple clothing shop, but everyone tells me that you are so much more than that and here was definitely the place to go to get all this done." Sanisha said, her eagerness overwhelming to her.

"Now, from my sisters I have a complete list of colors they got. I omitted what their coloring was, but here's what they said they got." She added, digging out a list. The list was brief, but had explanations for each of the colors.

1 Draping
1 Season Identification
1 Color Set Identification

• Essence Color - My version of white, the skin tone that harmaronizes the colors of my palm.
• Romantic Color - My version of red, the color that matches my face when I blush, my ears when they are cold, or a pinched fingertip.
• Dramatic Color - My version of blue, taken from the most dominant color of the veins in my wrist.
• Energy Color - Taken from the darkest part of my iris.
• Tranquil Color - Taken from the lightest part of my iris.
• First Base - My version of Black, taken from the dark ring around my pupil.
• Second Base - My version of Brown, taken from the darkest color of my hair or eyebrows.
• Third Base - My version of Khaki, taken from the lightest color of my hair or eyebrows

.

Once Rosela had a chance to get a good look at the list, the Widow touched her arm. "Well, what do you think? Can you give me a treatment fashionwise like my sisters have?" The woman asked, eagerly and almost in anticipation.

[Rosela]

Rosela smiled warmly, glad the meeting was smoothing out. ”Absolutely, Sanisha then. I’m Rosela.” She held her ground at the flutter of papers in her face and did her best not to recoil at the aggressive motion. ”The Citizen’s Council? How wonderful, it seems like such an experience. I’ve always wanted to be nominated, but,” she sighed briefly and waved a hand at the rows of clothing next to them. ”There just doesn’t seem to be time in the day.” She made a mental note to ask her about the council later – business came first, but she always thought about the council when nomination time came around. If she could get an inside scoop on getting nominated, she supposed she could very well make the time.

She listened in silence as Sanisha laid out her request, one hand reaching up to gently touch her chin in interest. Syliras? Draped? Colors? Seasons? Could she accommodate this woman? Rosela’s chest swelled with pride as it seemed her reputation preceded her. It warmed her and despite everything that had befallen her, the invader in her belly, the changes in her own mind, she knew without a shadow of a doubt she could make this happen.

”Draping…” She took the paper with interest, looking it over with one hand still on her chin. ”What a fascinating idea, I can’t believe they don’t do it here. What is it for; is it a festival?” A tangent ran off in her mind on what her own colors may be, before it was quickly reeled back in. Customer first. She looked up and met Sanisha’s eyes with a steady, confident look. One hand gently covered Sanisha's on her arm. ”I would be absolutely delighted to put this together with you.” She could feel her heart pounding in her ears. Sanisha Iorona seemed so much more than a customer in that moment; she was an icon, a beacon that would shine Rosela’s work to the ends of the city. This woman, this draping, would be her crowning achievement.

A visible shiver of excitement ran up her spine, and one hand fanned herself as she smiled at Sanisha. ”Oh, this is so exciting! There’s so much to do!”” She glanced over at Hudon, who sat bemusedly behind the desk, not nearly as excited as Rosela thought he should be. ”Well, I suppose we start at the top. Unless you want to repeat one of your sisters’ seasons, you would be Winter then? And these colors, do their origins stay the same? Like, do the Energy and Tranquil colors have to come from your eyes? And the draping, as in ‘they were draped’, is there some…” A hand twirled vaguely as she searched her Common for the right word. ”A..a…ceremony of some kind? Oh, a cloak, and matching stole, now that would be beautiful…” Her mind veered off into cloak designs as she scanned the note sheet again.