[SE] trying hard not to look like I'm trying

just you and me, dancing in a daydream; just you and me, lost in the clouds

The Archive was, perhaps, not the first place someone would think to come for a sewing session, but it was the one place where Sohalia thought she might find some instructions and patterns for how to go about creating what she had in mind. There were two items she needed to make - one for Frey, and the other for Ludo - and for both, she'd enlisted the help of a dear friend. "I think the section I was looking for is right over - aha!" She led Nova to a row of drawers, all of which contained various fashion sketchbooks and designs. "I knew there would be something."

The Luminary carried with her a bag filled to the brim with fabric, so that they could leave after deciding upon designs and get straight to work on actually making the items in question. This she sat on a nearby table before making her way to the drawers and beginning to rifle through. "Alright, so I need a vest. Do you have any thoughts? A friend of mine - I think you know her, Maea? - suggested something reversible, so I've got two fabrics to work with. I want it to be pretty, but functional, since Frey's turning it into armor for me, you know?"

Sohalia

// Ther's no competition //

When the glitter signal went up, Nova answered with gusto and three pairs of wings. A fashion session with Soh was so exciting that she'd had to resist the urge to BYOSM (bring your own sewing machine). Soh had assured her that she had everything, but there was so much energy that she could hardly contain herself, and even as they made their way to the design section, she was bouncing and glittering from head to toe. 

Her head nodded enthusiastically when she heard Maea's name, pleased to know they were both friends of the Ancient and even more eager to hear about this idea. She gasped, clapping her hands together before spreading them in the air in a shimmering imitation of what she had in mind. "Oh my gosh, yes. I'm thinking a solid color on one side - maybe like a leather with some floral embossing?! - then the other side can be like a silk or cotton - with a pretty sewn-in or dye design! Then you can press it down or press it up!"

Nova

// because nobody can be me //

just you and me, dancing in a daydream; just you and me, lost in the clouds

Despite everything that had happened recently, being around Nova was like taking a breath of fresh air. Soh's friend never failed to showcase a bright and bubbly disposition that was infectious, and the Luminary was absolutely content to bask in the hybrid's glow as they made their way to the right section. She might not be happy, exactly, but she was a far cry from the catatonic mess she'd been right after Tarak's death. It was enough to keep a small smile on her face as she explained her thoughts, and to warrant a good-natured chuckle at her friend's excitement.

"I have some silver fabric that I thought could be pretty, and then some midnight blue. Both silks. We can take a look and see what looks best," Soh agreed, liking the idea of leather with floral embossing. While she was a fairly creative soul, this kind of work was beyond her abilities, so to imagine something like Nova described was new and exciting. She started rifling through catalogues of designs, looking for something she liked. "I was thinking something fairly form-fitting, but that still gives me freedom to move..."

Sohalia

// Ther's no competition //

Her illusion in the air shifted a little with the new information, a design slowly taking form in the air between them, her grin wide with idea. "Yes. The midnight blue would perfect. That way one side is light and the other is dark!" It could be a day/night sort of transition that Nova was always a fan of.

Glancing over Soh's shoulder at the catalog, she tilted her head to see the pictures better. Her blonde and burnt red hair rustled with the movement as she hummed out a jaunty tune. "Something like this?" With a flick of her hand, the magic ripples, tightening the vest to a cute buttoned piece that accentuates the waist.

Nova

// because nobody can be me //

just you and me, dancing in a daydream; just you and me, lost in the clouds

An illusory design took shape in the space between them. Soh peered at it with interest and excitement, particularly as Nova took a bit in here and let a bit out there, shifted this color just a hair and that pattern just a smidge. In the end, the Luminary was looking at a perfect replica of the vest that she would one day wear as armor - and she grinned at her friend, bouncing up and down a little as she itched to get going on actually making the garment. ”That’s perfect,” she said, reaching out to loop at arm around Nova’s shoulders and squeeze her in a half-hug.

Then it was time to actually put the garment together, and Soh led the way to a workroom she’d reserved and filled with all the sewing paraphernalia they would need - or, at least, what she hoped they would need. She, after all, was no seamstress. ”I hope I got everything,” she said, making her way to a long work table and setting out her fabric. ”I might have to go find some buttons - but everything else should be all set.”

Sohalia

// Ther's no competition //

She beamed at the approval, her magic shining a little brighter before fading from the air. It was already planted firmly in her mind, the pattern and necessary supplies formulating in flurries of glittery schematics that seemed to reflect in the blue of her eyes. Nova practically barreled into the workroom, eager toget her hands on the materials. "Great! I'll get started on it!"

Any other thoughts or plans were buried under the cyclone of fabric, needles, and thread. She didn't need to measure, snipping away with confidence as she hummed and swirled around the room in a supernatural storm of shimmering creativity. Her brain caught momentarily on a black fabric that glittered like someone had trapped a galaxy within and she was forced to deviate from her task in order to manifest the costume that had entered her mind. But the moment the robes had taken shape, Nova was flitting back to Soh's vest, pressing designs into white leather and stitching buttons into a dark blue silk. 

By the time she was done, they'd missed lunch. Not that Nova cared. The artistic energy was enough to fuel her, the bounce in her step just as buoyant when she approached Soh, hands behind her back. Only the lingering strings, suspicious levels of glitter, and slightly askew set of her curls hinted at the chaos she'd created. Still, she grinned, proud and buzzing with excitement. 

"Okay! Close your eyes!" Barely waiting for her command to be followed - and not really paying attention if it was - Nova shoved the vest into Soh's space, offering it forth with a flutter of dazzling showmanship. "Ta-da!!"

Nova

// because nobody can be me //

just you and me, dancing in a daydream; just you and me, lost in the clouds

While Nova worked, Soh gave the young woman her space, allowing her full creative freedom and forcing herself to be content with simply waiting to see the finished result. And when the young hybrid finally approached, hands behind her back, Soh dutifully closed her eyes for the split second that it took Nova to present the vest before opening them with a sudden gasp of delight. "Oh, Nova!" she said, reaching out to take the vest from her friend. "It's beautiful!"

Hurrying to a nearby mirror, the Luminary slipped into the garment, buttoning it up before twisting this way and that as she surveyed herself in the mirror. Then, she slipped out of it to reverse it, and repeated the process, oohing and aahing over it at every turn. When she was finally satisfied, she turned to scoop Nova into an excited, bouncing hug. "Thank you so much!"

Sohalia

// Ther's no competition //

Soh's praise of the garment was met with no small amount of pride, the words inflating her already gargantuan ego. Giggling, she clapped her hands, a bounce to her steps as her head raised a little higher. "Right?! And look! I even managed to make my Ludo costume!" Nova pulled the dark material from the other table, watching it flicker like a black hole before hanging from her hands like a sheet of night sky. 

Then she was already setting it aside, skipping forward to stare at Soh in the mirror. "Yay! I'm glad you like it! It looks great on you!" The smile on her face was bright, practically blinding in the reflection that greeted her. There wasn't a speck of falsehood in her words - after all, Nova rarely lied. 

She opened her mouth to say more when a loud growl interrupted her. Pouting indignantly, she glared down at her stomach like it had planned to be rude. But with the creative juices slowing to a trickle, she could feel the instincts she'd muted. Glancing up, she blinked. "Do you think we could get some food now? I'm starving."

Nova

// because nobody can be me //

just you and me, dancing in a daydream; just you and me, lost in the clouds

Soh might have paid more attention to the Ludo costume had she not been so eager to see what her vest would look like on. As it was, she gave the darker garment a once-over and grinned at her friend, but then she was practically skipping to the mirror, and the Ludo costume was forgotten. The vest was everything she'd imagined and more, and she might have continued to admire it had a loud growl not broken through, interrupting the girls and causing Soh to smother a smile.

"Food sounds great!" Soh agreed, slipping out of the vest and folding it carefully to tuck into her bag. "My treat." And as soon as they had packed up their belongings and set the workroom to rights, Soh led the way to her favorite lunch spot, content to chat with Nova until the other girl tired of her company.

fin

Sohalia