ph_logs | [Slightly Backdated] Merrymeet Outfit Planning

What she finds is Annabelle sitting on the floor, trying to work on the train of a dress, all cream and pale grey with trim in navy blue velvet ribbon, pins sticking out of her mouth and the pincushion on her wrist, muttering foul words to herself.

A great first impression, surely.

Ah, Ryja knows this one, after years of- Wait. No. That's Skov-Fisher-Thule. But still. Sympathy from the ghost of the woman she almost is. "Is this a bad time? I can come back later." In all likelihood, it isn't. Ryja's timing is usually quite convenient... But then again, sometimes the question is 'convenient for what, exactly?'

“If you come in any further, I may ask to borrow your hands for this project, before we discuss yours, what you need.” Convenient timing indeed! Come help the poor seamstress and set the impending drama aside for just a moment.

"Well, I am happy to help before getting a dress for myself." At least it makes a good impression. Ryja steps in, "Though of course, I know quite little about this. I am better with woodcrafts, personally." Her current mask, though not the one she's working on for Merrymeet, is proof enough of that.

"Perhaps at some point when we're not struggling with a time constraint, we can trade the result of our talents. For the moment, though, I need you to hold this along here, straight and tight as you can so I can pin it right."

Annabel gestures Ryja nearer with a warm smile, ignorant to who she is for the moment, still.

Hands steady, Ryja does exactly as told. One needs a steady hand to do Sharlayan Astrology, after all. "I would be quite happy to do so." The steady pulse of her starry markings is a sign of nervousness, but it only ever shows when a shadow falls across her skin.

“Perfect. I think that’s a stable enough place to leave it so we can talk your needs. At this point, Merrymeet outfits are going to be alterations of existing clothes, rather than sewing from whole cloth. But if you need something for after Merrymeet, I’m much more open. What’s your name, dear?”

Annabel finishes pinning and pays Ryja her attention now, her smile perfectly polished.

No turning back, of course. "Ryja Featherfists. I need a dress for Merrymeet, but I am not too picky. After, though, I would also appreciate a proper dress for wearing around the town." The nerves, thankfully, don't show very much. Perhaps in the twitch of her ears.

"You're Ryja. I see." Annabel's gaze rakes up and down the viera quietly. Well. She approached on the matter of business, so lets keep this professional.

"Are we aiming to compliment the colors of your ears and hair, or to contrast them and make them stand out more?"

Well. It could be worse. Ryja's nerves are kept in check by the mask, if barely. But she needs the dress, and... They can talk about River another time, when Annabel isn't so busy. It would be rather rude to find her in her place of work for that, wouldn't it?

"The more they stand out, the better. My markings glow in the dark, or even just a light shadow, which must be kept in mind." She makes sure Annabelle sees that, covering one arm from the light to reveal how brilliantly blue they can get.

"You glow!" Yes, Annabel, she just said that. But the tone there is one of pure delight, seeing the markings like that. "When I have time to make clothing from scratch, we're going to play with that properly. But for now, I've found a few dresses secondhand, owned by locals that I can fit to you. Here, come take a look?"

It's still surprising how much others like the glow. In her village, it had only every spread across her cheeks, and it was seen as a mark of strangeness. Only after she embraced her talent as an Astrologian did it spread like this. "Oh, I would be delighted to do so!" She says, as she follows to the second hand dresses.

Annabel goes through a few of the options. Pink with flowers, lavender, one that's silver and sparkly. And then she gets to that black gradient dress that was probably intended for an autumn holiday, beschmeckled in stars.

And Ryja stops on that last one, delighted. "Ah! It may be a little predictable, but I love the stars." Understatement of the week. "And I think this one would suit my shape quite nicely?"

"It will call for some adjustment around the bust, but I think it would definitely work. May I take some measurements in order to fit it to you?"

Is it weird doing this to a potential metamour? Maybe! She's trying to be professional, though.

Ryja is perfectly willing to stay professional. She's a healer, she has to be good at that, it's part of the job. Even if Annabel is super pretty and she can see why River likes her already. Local bunny kind of easy, no one is surprised.

"Of course. I have yet to ever buy something that did not required at least some adjustment." When one is shaped like Ryja is, that's an inevitability.

"Good, let me just grab my measuring tape. You, stand in the middle of the room."

And she's also going to take a deep breath. Yeah, time to talk.

Ryja is blissfully unaware the talking is nearly upon her, but still nervous as she stands in the middle of the room, rolling her shoulders a little bit and doing a little stretch of one of her legs. Viera feet are a little weird, and she has yet to get proper shoes fitted for her. By the time Annabel's back, she's made herself be still.

Annabel starts to take the measurements, gentle and careful, but it's when the tape is around Ryja's waist that she speaks.

"River did mention you."

Ah. Well, okay then. She almost but not quite babbles, "I expected her to, after we re-united. Or, met for the first but not-first time. It is all very confusing in feeling. She mentioned there were others she loved dearly, here and now." Ryja says this with a smile, the warmth of which manages to just barely settle over that of her blush, thinking about it.

"And I'm one of those others. Tarantulas made a very poor first impression, you should know."

She's more on-guard than she might otherwise be, and she wants Ryja to know that.

Ryja takes a sharp breath. Ah. There goes the warmth, to be replaced by worry. How did Tarantulas mess this up, what is she missing? But that's not something she can fix right now, is it? This is her impression.

"I knew, the first at least. Genuinely, I came because I need a dress and... I intended to perhaps invite you to a meal, or something similar, to talk about River, later." Something friendly, and light, and, well. Maybe a chance to talk about how cute River is, if Ryja was to be totally honest. There's pauses between her words, longer than usual.

Her ears are twisting just a little bit, tilted back in nervousness.

The measuring tape withdraws, Annabel stepping back to note down the numbers.

"A meal would be nice. Though if there's anything you would like me to know up-front, just say it."

Ryja has to think about it. Or perhaps it's more accurate to say she has to think around her own thoughts, really. What does one even say, here? The other version of her knew how relationships worked, but the real Ryja... "Viera do not have the sort of relationships others do, and thus... I am sailing blind into a freshly angered storm, and more so with the idea of multiple such partners." More escapes than she really meant to say, and that shows in the tilt of her ears going back even further.

What does it cost her to admit she doesn't know what she's doing? In theory, it should be very little... and yet in truth, it's so much.

Annabel closes her notebook, turning to face Ryja.

"In my world, relationships are strictly between one man and one woman for the purpose of continuing a family line. I was not expected to love my future husband, but to serve and respect and work with him. So I'm also sailing blind, but occasionally bringing faulty expectations to the table from my world. But I'm working on that."

[Slightly Backdated] Merrymeet Outfit Planning

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