Solo Showing Up

[Kamilla]

Threading the needle for the umpteenth time that day, Kamilla waisted no time, pulling the thread through the two components that would fuse to become the bodice of Uta’s summer dress. She’d decided to use a cross stitch, not the quickest choice, but it would ensure thst the seams of the dress were quite tough. Although it would keep her busy to have to repair the dress every so often, it would ultimately be bad for business. Kamilla wanted her creations to be associated with quality, comfort and fashion... if she had a choice.

As she continued the very slowly, very deliberate stitches, Kamilla couldn’t help but think about the opportunities she’d been offered in Syka. There was the choice of being granted land by the founders along with s significant loan in order to build a home and business. Both were quite enticing to the mage, but she’d been uncertain of her plans upon arrival and while the settlement certainly had its charm, Kamilla certainly hadn’t made up her mind and decided she’d be staying.

The benefits of staying and starting a business in Syka were that, the settlement itself was beautiful, a literal paradise and she’d be getting land and a home for far less than she would have in any of the other cities she’d visited. On top of that, if she were to start a clothing business in Syka while it was still in demand, it might be possible for her to establish herself as the main clothing supplier in the settlement before it grew too much. That would certainly be something, to become the owner of a business similar to the ones she’d worked at.

While it seemed there were plenty benefits to settling in Syka, Kamilla certainly hadn’t fooled herself into thinking there weren’t negative aspects too. First and foremost, Syka was a settlement, not a town or city, meaning that its population and supplies were limited. Above that, the mage wasn’t sure she would survive in a place so devoid of activity, everyday in Syka felt like a holiday, even when she was working. The second problem with staying, was that Kamilla thought she might have a hard time with her magic studies being in the middle of nowhere. To learn anything new, she’d have to rely on books and the potential arrival of other mages, both of which weren’t reliable possibilities. And third, and most importantly, the jungle.

While Kamilla had barely been in Syka for half a season, she’d already experienced enough of the Falyndar jungle to not want to experience anymore. After only two excursions the mage was already bruised and bitten, she shuddered to think what would happen if she continued to live in the settlement, since even refusing to enter the jungle again didn’t stop the jungle and it’s inhabitants from coming to her.

[Kamilla]

Finishing up with sewing the front and back parts of the bodice together, Kamilla considered taking a break, despite the process only having taken about twenty chimes. The thought of resting her fingers was tempting, but the desire to be done with the dress was greater and so she moved to sew the skirt together.

Rolling the material so that both ends were in place and ready to be sewn together, Kamilla pushed a few pins into the material to keep it in place, retrieving the needle and thread, she hoped that it wouldn’t take as long to sew as the bodice had taken, but was fairly certain it would take about the same if not longer. It seemed she had been right in her assumption as twenty chimes later, the skirt was complete as well.

A loud sigh of relief as Kamilla straightened out the skirt to get a good look at her work, her heart dropping instantly as she noticed a rather blaring flaw. ”Petch.” The skirt, had been seen unevenly, or perhaps she’d drawn or cut it unevenly, regardless of how it happened, while the top was perfectly lined up, the bottom contained a small rectangular lip poking out of the seam.

She was annoyed and frustrated, upset that she hadn’t noticed it sooner. She’d been hard at work all day and really didn’t want to have to postpone the dresses completion until tomorrow, especially after Uta had been kind enough to bring her lunch.

Slumping back in the chair, Kamilla’s hand went to cover her face as she tried to think of a solution to her problem, the slight protrusion of her long since healed Reimancy scar tickling her nose. It had nearly been a decade since she’d gone through the initiation, an excruciatingly painful ritual, but something the mage almost never regretted, except for once...

Snapping back to reality, Kamilla straightened up, deciding her focus would best be spent on solving the task at hand, rather than reminiscing about her morbid past.

”I guess it can’t be helped if I want to complete this dress today.” The words were spoken with a shrug as Kamilla retrieved the needle and thread once more, deciding to continue as planned and leave the uneven skirt as is. All that remained to be done, was for her to sew the three remaining components, the bodice, belt and skirt together, completion the dress.

[Kamilla]

It was at least another twenty chimes of pure work ethic, Kamilla soldiering through the last stage of her work in order to get done in time, refusing to take any breaks. Once she’d reached the final stage of sewing the bodice and skirt together, it took a surprising amount of willpower to keep from rushing the process, Kamilla forcing herself to keep her stitches even and consistent throughout. Eventually she did finish, sitting back in her chair and letting out a loud sigh of relief, relaxing for barely a moment before being interrupted by the botanist, Uta’s, return.

”I’m back...”

Kamilla turned in her seat to greet the woman with a small smile, getting to her feet, ready to present the dress to its new owner, though she thought it might be best to give it a final inspection before handing to Uta to try on. ”Just in time, I’m just about done with your dress...” She began, picking up the green garment and turning it over and around in search of any faults in the stitches but not spotting any, thankfully.

”Great... I brought you something to say thanks.”

Surprised by this, Kamilla gently placed the dress back on the table before turning curiously toward the botanist. The woman was already paying for a dress and had brought her lunch, what more could she be offering. The answer was apparently an odd looking piece of a plant, the woman holding it proudly in one of her hands as she approached.

”Aloe Vera. I saw it on my way here and broke off one of its leaves...” Kamilla wasn’t sure how to react, eyeing the spiky looking green triangular shaped plant in confusion, having no idea what she’d do with such a thing. Noticing her confusion, Uta offered a reassuring smile, ”It’s for your bruises. See, the gel found inside these serrated leaf like parts of the plant is great for a lot of things... one of which is helping bruises to fade.” As she spoke, Uta offered the thick plant to her, the part where it had been broken off facing upward.

Taking the ‘gift’ from the botanist, Kamilla supposed that it was indeed a thoughtful gift, giving her arms and shoulders a look and eyeing each of the few fading bruises on them. ”Uh, thanks... that’s kind of you.” As she spoke, Kamilla turned the odd looking plant over in her hand, inspecting its thick serrated appearance and noticing some thick transparent fluid poking from inside.

”See, you just take that gel from inside and rub it on your bruises, it’s quick, easy and cheap... and trust me, it’ll work.

Still uncertain of how to react, Kamilla simply offered another smile. ”Thanks again, really.” She paused for a moment, mind running back to the garment on the table behind her. ”So, lets see how the dress looks on you.”

Uta clapped her hands in excitement, retrieving the dress and disappearing behind the wall that separated view of the bed from the living area to try her new dress in.

”Be right back.”

While the botanist slipped herself into Kamilla’s creation, the mage decided to try the ‘Aloe Vera’ gift she’d just been given. Squeezing the plant gently, she caught the transparent gel that oozed from inside, gathering a dollop which she then began to run on her shoulder, the sight of her largest bruise.

The moment first thing she noticed was that the gel had an almost instant soothing effect on the bruise, Kamilla humming happily at the cool sensation. She was both surprised and impressed by it already, though whether or not it would help with the bruises remained to be seen. Though, she supposed, as a botanist, the woman’s word should be trusted.

[Kamilla]

Impressed by how quickly the gel had taken affect on the subtle ache of her bruises, Kamilla eagerly squeezed a bit more of the plant gel into her hand and proceeded to rub it into the bruise located on her upper right arm. Once again, she was pleased as the soothing sensation spread once again. ”This feels wonderful... what did you call it again? Aloe?”

”Aloe Vera, yep. It’s a very useful plant. The gel works on all kinds of skin problems and you can even eat the plant if it’s boiled...” Finally, the botanist appeared from behind the wall, wearing the newly made green summer dress. ”... But only if you literally have no other choice. How does it look?”

Kamilla’s gaze rose from inspecting the small piece of the plant in her hand to look at her own handiwork. At first glance, it looked as if she’d done quite a good job, the dress fitting the botanist very well and looking rather good at the same time, although it was a bit plain, but that had been part of the request. ”It looks great...” She began, the woman investigating her own appearance in the mirror.

”Thank you Kamilla, I like it a lot. It’s pretty much exactly what I asked for. Plain, simple but still quite pleasing to the eye. Also, I love the color, you were right about the green.”

Kamilla could only smile in response to the woman’s praise, ”I’m glad you like it, though honestly, I did make a tiny mistake while lining up the skirt.” After the woman’s pleasantness throughout the day, the mage didn’t feel right about attempting to hide the dresses flaw. ”See, there’s a tiny protrusion at the bottom there.”

The woman looked down in search of the flaw in question, finding it with ease and pulling the material up to investigate it, before shrugging and letting go.

”Don’t worry about it, it gives the dress some character, besides it’s hardly noticeable. You still did a good job. Thank you.”

Relieved, Kamilla’s smile widened slightly as she squeezed the last of the gel from the aloe plant, rubbing it on her shoulder bruise again. ”I’m glad you like it... and thanks again for lunch and this amazing plant.” While the salad had been appreciated, the plant was indeed a gift.

”Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad to have a new dress. I might even request another one or two in different colors.”

Kamilla laughed in response, the possibility of more business being a very welcome one. ”That would be great, though the mercantile is running pretty low on cloth, so it might be a while before I could get to it.

The botanist seemed to settle a bit, no longer swaying in enjoyment of her new dress, choosing instead to focus on the conversation at hand. ”Oh yeah that’s true, the Veronica hasn’t been making the usual trips to Riverfall this season, so you can’t import...” The woman seemed deep in thought, hand going to her chin as she contemplated something before lighting up with what was clearly an idea.

”I know...” She began, excitedly. ”You should to talk to Tony Swiftwater, he’s in charge of the Isuas Plantation. It’s this new material exclusive to Syka... it’s actually pretty interesting, far better than cotton too... though more expensive as well.”

Kamilla had never heard of this ‘isuas’ material, but it certainly sounded promising. A high quality material exclusive to Syka, she’d definitely have to investigate if she planned on staying in the settlement as a seamstress.

”Thanks again Uta, I’ll definitely look into it. Tony Swiftwater, right?”

The botanist nodded happily. ”Yep... let me just take this new dress off.” Kamilla nodded as the botanist disappeared behind the wall for the second time, placing the empty plant on the table and beginning to pack up the last of her sewing kit. It had been quite a long day but overall, it was a success. The dress had come out quite well for a first attempt, she’d found out about a helpful plant that she’d definitely try and find more of and she’d learned of a potential solution to the fabric problem she was currently facing. It had been a good day.

Once again, Uta emerged from behind the wall, now back in the clothes she’d been wearing all day, the new dress folded neatly in her hands. ”Thanks again for the dress, I really like it.” she said, smiling happily.

”Thanks to you too, for the lunch, aloe and information. I’m definitely going to talk to Tony about the isuas.” As she spoke, Kamilla packed the final bit of her sewing kit into her bag. ”Anyways, I have to go check on my... pets. I’ll see you around Uta, have a good evening.” With that, the mage retrieved the slightly lighter, but still awkward to carry, bolt of material and left the bungalow.

It seemed she really had been busy the entire day, as the sun was only a short distance away from disappearing behind the horizon. Regardless, Kamilla was quite please with how the day and especially the dress had turned out. It may have been her first attempt at creating a dress from scratch, but she was proud of the result.

[Madeira Dusk]

Grades Awarded!

Don't forget to edit/delete your grade request!

Kamilla

Skills

• Planning: 5xp
• Endurance: 2xp
• Acting: 2xp
• Socialization: 4xp
• Persuasion: 1xp
• Observation: 3xp
• Sewing: 5xp
• Wilderness Survival: 2xp
• Logic: 3xp
• Politics: 1xp

Lores

• Syka: more trouble than it's worth
• Endurance: through sand and sun and injury
• Planning: wheelbarrow animation
• Acting: conceal don't feel
• Persuasion: influencing another's decision
• Location: Syka Bungalows
• Wilderness Survival: pretty=poisonous
• Sewing: simple two-component dress layout
• Lore of creative inspiration
• Sewing: attaching a belt
• Sewing: hemming
• Socialization: filling the awkward silence
• Lore of Wanolo Baboons
• Lore of the fundamental differences between Syka and Sahova
• Politics: corning the market
• Sewing: cross stitching for durability
• Lore of the medicinal properties of Alo Vera
• Lore of how to identify Alo Vera
• Lore of Isuas fabric
• Tony Swiftwater: owner of the isuas plantation

Awards & Retribution
+Whole cloth(Green) 10sq.yd: -7,5GM
+Leash(Medium): -1 GM
-4sq.yd whole cloth

Notes
I love how you play Kam. She really feels like a city girl just trying to figure this place out. You don't take shortcuts or assume anything, and it has me rooting for this girl every time. <3