Seeing Hwyn get dressed and approach, Evarista wasn't sure what to say to him. She had a lot of questions whirling around in her head, but couldn't find the right words to express them. The girl couldn't decide whether she saw him in a different light after the big reveal just now. Nothing had actually changed, he was still the same Hwyn as he always was, but she couldn't think of him the same way now that she knew he was a boy. There was an uncanny, elusive emotion tugging at the back of her mind as she looked at him now.
She licked her lips, still in search of words. Luckily, he broke the silence first.
"Nothing for me. I like my garb as it is." Another pause followed. She expected another display of contempt from the seamstress, but the red-haired woman was too immersed in her drawing to care about anything Evarita was saying. All she did was roll her eyes at the two awkward types trying to make conversation. The black-haired girl continued drilling the boy in front of her with an intent gaze, the urge to reach out and grab his face rising again, just as it did in the morning. She rubbed her palms together to occupy her hands. There were many things she wanted to talk about, but discussing anything non-trivial without hours of mental preparation came with difficulty to her.
Fortunately, Alira rejoined them shortly with a ready sketch in hand. It wasn't something Evarista would ever wear herself, but seeing Hwyn wear it was an entertaining prospect. At least, it would be a definite improvement over what he had now.
Hwyn's comment of approval put a satisfied smirk on the seamstress' face. She wasn't a stranger to praise, but it tickled her ego every time, and wasn't something she ever got tired of.
"Of course," Alira said as she soaked in the boy's amazed expression. "You're going to look your best in this. Look forward to when it's done!"
Having made sure that her design was properly appreciated, she turned to Evarista, naturally assuming that she was the one paying. She noticed that the Nitrozian's hitherto indifferent face suddenly twitched in excitement, as if she had remembered something.
"I'll be supplying the fabric." Evarista burst out categorically, before the redhead could even open her mouth. Taken by surprise, Alira raised her brow in response. Customers who brought their own textiles were rare, for better or worse. They always brought something either very exotic, very obscure, or very... weird. Since this was Evarista she was talking to, it wasn't going to be anything other than the latter variant. There was going to be weird stuff. And probably not in a good way.
Still, as someone who loved the avant-garde, the seamstress was a little curious. People of bizarre tastes were sometimes cradles of brilliant ideas. Even though her hopes weren't high in this case, it couldn't hurt to give it a go.
"Interesting," she said. "I'll inform my Azure that there will be a delivery. He'll take care of it."
Intriguing as this was, she couldn't contain her skepticism, either.
"No crazy nonsense, you hear? It had better be good silk," she added, a hint of warning in her.
Evarista's lips parted in her usual teeth-baring grin that seldom signaled anything positive.
"Oh, worry not. It'll be good silk."
Alira only clicked her tongue and shook her head, unsure how to interpret that last line.
"Alright, I suppose that's settled." The seamstress put the sketch into an elegant plywood folder and stowed it away behind the counter. There wasn't a practice of walking out on one's commissions in the Noble District, so she wasn't in the habit of asking down payments. As soon as she received the fabric, she'd fit the order into her schedule and get to work. "Don't forget to drop by later and take a look at accessories to complement the dress, as well. Azure can give you good tips on that."
Throwing out other small pieces of advice, Alira escorted the pair to the door and bid good night before parting ways with them. Her own piloted ravosala was waiting for her next o Evarista's, probably hired earlier today due to the unexpected call. Boarding the vessel and giving the pair a quick wave, the seamstress disappeared down the canals.
It was getting dark outside; the sun was setting. Those three bells had flown by fast. The akalak was waiting for them patiently, standing exactly where they left him. Looking down at Hwyn, Evarista rubbed her palms together again, her face not betraying her excitement. As much as she wanted to continue the evening, she had some preparations to make at home. In her eyes, the trip was already a success. The proud fashionista actually entertained the idea of accepting her custom materials. She would be in for a surprise. More importantly, so would Evarista's blonde acquaintance.
"Well then, my friend. We'll have to leave the coffee house visit for another time. I have some business to attend to. If you wait here, Imhon will give you a ride back to the café in a few minutes." She stepped into the ravosala, remaining standing as she crossed her arms and gave the boy a thoughtful glance. "The wine there stinks, but... I'll drop by sometime anyway."
She did plan on dropping by, and naturally, that was not for the sake of the wine. She wanted to visit Hwyn in a way that entertained her the most, that is, a visit without announcing her presence. A good way to distract herself while she waited for Alira to complete her work, a pretty maroon dress. However, that wasn't going to be the final product that she wanted to clothe Hwyn in. The outer layer wasn't going to be maroon, and it wasn't going to be a dress. The girl gave the boy a goodbye nod, and a smirk full of indecipherable promises, as the akalak leaned on his pole and sent the ravosala gliding away.
by Evarista on September 8th, 2016, 8:13 pm 
