{se} needle and thread

HOTARU

she is a flower, but she isn't soft
when her petals fall, they hit like bullets

His defenses are pitifully weak, and they both know it. It's plainly evident in the easy, breezelike way Hotaru skims over them. "Nonsense, I have healing magic. Even if you somehow managed to fully break my foot we would be fine. Consider it repayment for your cloak." She wheedles it in at the end, hoping to entice him with the prospect of no true material payments. Though, knowing Talyson, the trade she proposes is worse in his eyes.

Tittering a laugh at Boreal's dramatics, Hotaru leaves her pins in the shoulders of the mannequin and sweeps off back into the closet where it had come from. Returning with an armful of precisely folded fabrics, she sets them out side-by-side on the table for Talyson to peruse. "Here are the fabrics I have that can accommodate that length. Choose based on color and texture, since we won't be contending with Halovian weather." The main perk to the seasonal events was the freedom of fabric choice in Hotaru's opinion.

Tal opened his mouth in instant protest, then snapped it shut again as it bounced off Ru's blasted logic before he could even get a word out. He scowled in reflex, reaching up to rub the back of his neck as he tried to wiggle out of it, but in the end...

Avarice won, and the chance at free cloth. Even if the price was, indeed, far steeper than any piece of clothing would usually be worth. Call it the friends-and-family discount markup.

"... I guess," he agreed with his usual grace. "Maybe it won't be so bad..." Knowing Ru, she could even make it more interesting by turning it into something like combat training, maybe! Tal perked up at the thought. He gave his dragon a look of loving exasperation while Hotaru retrieved the fabrics and he padded over to run his hands lightly over each folded length of cloth in turn.

"Hmm... Maybe... a dark blue? With a lighter blue liner?" He slid a surreptitious glance to see Hotaru's expression to his suggestion as he rested one hand on a closely-woven navy fabric and rubbed the fingers of the other across a paler satin nearby.

HOTARU

she is a flower, but she isn't soft
when her petals fall, they hit like bullets

His consent makes her beam - something that was already rare before Enzo's death and has grown rarer still, reserved only for Deimos and Talyson these days. "It will be wonderful. I'll have you sweeping anyone off their feet by time the dance arrives." Man, woman, beast, Hotaru would ensure Talyson could dazzle them all. But first, he would have to make a visual impression. So it's a good thing he has some measure of taste in terms of color.

"Navy shades are perfect with your dark hair and cooler toned skin. I can line it with silk if you'd like? It's the best fabric for keeping you cool even when you're sweating." Which means he could dance with it far more comfortably and not risk overheating. It would, however, mean he could only use it for events outside of Halo or in rather well-insulated halls after the ball was over.

Well, shit. Seeing his best friend smiling so bright made it impossible to even pretend to be grumpy about the deal and his own lips quirked dangerously close to a rueful smile. "Yeah? I'm not very good with leg sweeps, so I do need t'practice those more," he agreed, teasing Ru with a wicked grin before they moved on to the fabric choices.

He straightened a little, looking pleased with himself as the seamstress confirmed his gut instincts for colors and nodded agreement. "Sure, silk sounds good. Thanks t'Frey I don't have t'worry about freezin' but..." He tapped his Cuff with a shrug. "Haven't sorted out the overheatin' part yet. Someday, maybe when I've got time..." Whenever that would be he had no idea. His courier business was taking more and more time and he was going to have to start hiring help or figuring out how to expand soon or else he'd go crazy trying to keep up with demand now that the world was at peace. "If you can mark out the pattern, I can start cuttin' the cloth," he offered helpfully.

HOTARU

she is a flower, but she isn't soft
when her petals fall, they hit like bullets

He certainly can't hide a smile from her. That best-friendship goes two ways after all. Even if she must suffer his play on words, which prompt her to roll her eyes even as her own smile scarcely falters. "If your dancing does not impress, surely your sharp wit will," she replies with deep and drawling sarcasm.

"Many of my students have encountered the same problem; getting accustomed to lack of freezing, and finding themselves unused to heat." Luckily she had lived in Torchline for quite some time, and as such the sun does not bother her. Just as luckily, she is the type to tan instead of burn, even with her fair skin. "Deal, give me just a moment." It takes the work of a few minutes to lay the fabric out flat, hunting down every rogue wrinkle, and marking out the edges with seam allowance to spare. When she's done, she tucks the chalk stick carelessly behind her ear and gestures for Talyson to take her place. "You do this, I'll go make us some tea." They'd be at this for a while after all.

"I'll try an' tone it down for th'party so I don't cut anyone on accident," he promised her smugly. They both knew that the one most likely to get nicked was, of course, himself... but he didn't have to admit it!

He nodded at her mention of students, having heard from his sister Dierdre about the Academy's useful side effect. Overheating was almost as dangerous as freezing in Halo, where sweat could become trapped beneath layers of insulating clothing, causing dehydration and increasing the danger of frostbite if those layers were discarded in an attempt to cool off. It was a delicate balance for those who didn't have magic to help ease the burden in one way or another.

Tal peered over Hotaru's shoulder as she marked out the pattern, managing to stay out of her way - barely - and pouncing in the moment she sat back to survey her work. He flashed her a grin and rolled up his sleeves theatrically before reaching for the shears. "I'll  have it done by th'time y'get back," he boasted.

And he almost did, finishing up the last few, careful snips as she returned. For all his sloppiness with words his hands were deft and sure after years of repairing clothing on the trail and sewing replacement booties for the sled team. His cutting was clean and even, and the lines were straight and relatively true. "If y'can spot me a needle an' thread, I can get workin' on stitchin' the lining in while you work on yours?" A request made as he reached for a teacup with a lopsided grin of understanding how eager Ru probably was to begin on her own finery.

HOTARU

she is a flower, but she isn't soft
when her petals fall, they hit like bullets

He makes well on his boasted promise, and as Hotaru returns with tea balanced on a tray, she smiles to see his progress. Setting it down on the same table where the discarded box now lies, she foregoes taking up her own cup for the timebeing to retrieve his requested items. It takes a small exertion of magic to float over the materials - still growing accustomed to her control over air to utilize it in such a way - but she makes sure to float it into her own hands first, only then walking over to hand them to Talyson. No sense in stabbing anyone's hands but her own.

"If you need any help don't hesitate," she assures, and hands the man his tea alongside the needle and thread. Flouncing back to her own, she takes a quick sip before heading straight for her own mannequin, eagerly pinning the layers of the bodice first.

He watched her float the objects over on a playful breeze and grinnned. "Show off," he teased fondly, accepting the tools from her hand. He took a careful sip of his drink, letting the warmth melt down to his bones as the hot liquid hit his stomach, and a contented sigh emerged as he closed his eyes and savored the moment.

But the moment was quickly over and he nodded at Ru's offer. "I'll do that," he agreed easily, licking the end of the thread and lining it up with the eye of the needle. He got it through on the third try and began his row of neat, methodical stitches as the Valkyrie got to work on her own outfit. "I'll need help with the jacket later, for sure." Lining and hemming the cape, however, was going to take awhile!

HOTARU

she is a flower, but she isn't soft
when her petals fall, they hit like bullets

Flicking her hair in a plainly mean-girl way, Hotaru sniffs elegantly, smirking. "Of course, why wouldn't I?" Flouncing off imperiously to her own gown, she leaves Talyson to his own devices, confident the man can handle needle and thread given the life he has led for so long. As for herself, her gown requires a level of intricacy that means she cannot spare her attention unless he calls for it.

First she hand-sews the bodice, wanting to keep all the stitches invisible. Once that is done, she gingerly takes the dress off the mannequin to take it to her sewing machine (which in Caido costs more than one pretty penny). It's an old-fashioned thing, but it works far better than hand sewing, especially with the long pieces. The quiet hum of the foot pedal keeps them company as she toils away. It's not hard to make a fitted dress without ruffles or other adornments, so within an hour the base is done - as is her cup of tea. Standing with a cry of triumph, the Valkyrie carelessly rips her shirt off, standing in her bra and leggings as she shimmies into the dress without a care for what Tal does or doesn't see. Stepping around her desk, she twirls, checking the seams and the flow of the gown as she does. "What do you think so far?"

Her hair flick earned an amused - if inelegant - snort from the courier, who just grinned in solidarity. Hey, if you got it, flaunt it, right?

He could hand-sew a tight, straight line but he'd never used a sewing machine before. He kept to his own steady pace, but he stole envious glances at Ru's clickity-clacking contraption and how much more quickly it stitched her dress panels together. His cape was a great deal less fabric and fuss than a dress, however, and though he was on his second cup of tea he also finished his most important garment.

Holding it up to admire it and swirl it around his shoulders, he was startled from his reverie by the yell that rang through the living room, surprising Boreal awake with a smoky snort. They both swiveled their heads to look at the Valkyrie in tandem as she stripped down and Tal belatedly ducked his head and spun on his heel to face the wall, feeling the tips of his ears burning.

He didn't turn back until she spoke again and then he stole a surreptitious peek through Boreal's eyes to make sure Ru was dressed before he turned cautiously around. "Um. It's... it looks real good," he stammered helpfully. 'I like the way it flares." Yeah. Yeah, that was the right word. He rubbed the back of his neck and leaned from one side to the other to get better looks at the sides of the dress, carefully keeping his gaze away from the danger zone. "Are y'gonna add any..." he wiggled the fingers of his other hand, "floofy'n frilly bits?"

HOTARU

she is a flower, but she isn't soft
when her petals fall, they hit like bullets

She only half-notices the way he spins to stare at the wall, too focused on examining the flare and fit of the gown's bottom. The bodice had already been nearly finished when Tal had arrived, so she feels rather confident in the construction, but everything below the bust was more important in her eyes. Not like Hotaru has a lot of bust in the first place. Speaking of exactly that, she raises an eyebrow at Talyson's pink cheeks but doesn't comment. She's beautiful and knows it, but Ru doesn't think much of her body beyond its use as a seductive tool; she finds herself a little too lacking in curves for that. "There's not much to see darling," she snorts in amused self-deprecation, though her smile is carefully fond, not wanting to draw too much attention to his embarrassed state.

"Hmm, I think I may do draped off-the-shoulder sleeves, and maybe a slit up to the thigh? But I'm going for elegance, not pomp." So no floof or frills. Plus they'd only be easier to step on, snag, or otherwise destroy. "What do you think, this high?" And, because she's either oblivious or a monster, Hotaru begins to slide the dress up her thigh, eyeing the appropriate height to mark to cut out the slit. "Higher means more mobility for dancing, but also means the flare can go too wide on spins..." Glancing back up she looks earnestly for his input, ready to finish this last piece on the main body of the dress.

"There's enough," Tal muttered, and though he meant it as a compliment his voice was rough and he was focused very intently on the bottom hem of Hotaru's dress instead of her face. She was his best friend, sure, but she was also a beautiful woman and the courier wasn't immune to that fact. He would happily cuddle her close on a cold Halo night, but it still felt weird seeing her half-naked.

The dress was safely on now, at least, and he raised his gaze to give her the opinions she requested. The bodice fit well and so did the skirt as it spun around her. At least she was wearing leggings beneath it as she began to hike it up, and Tal wrinkled his nose as he tried to judge the perfect height. "Mmm... there, maybe?" he suggested cautiously as she reached a point just above mid-thigh. He didn't have any experience to back his suggestion up, but he figured Hotaru would know better.

He kept his cape on as he gathered up the scraps of blue silk and began to piece them together, seeing if there was enough to stitch together a simple jacket from the fancy fabric.

HOTARU

she is a flower, but she isn't soft
when her petals fall, they hit like bullets

Now it’s her turn to be unexpectedly frazzled, cheeks going a touch pink and eyes dropping back to her dress. It’s not that she’s unaware Talyson is a man in his own right, but she has grown accustomed in her prolonged loneliness to separating people into two boxes: suitable candidates for a single night of passion, or close friends. Maybe she is simply getting rusty and out of touch, but it makes her…think.

Maybe she needs to change how she views herself; always either as a shimmering star to draw in prey or as a sad and abandoned marionette, nothing in between.

So tilted is her axis now that she merely nods at Tal’s vote on the height of the slit, plucking a pin from beside her to mark it and removing the dress to begin working on it immediately. And this time she puts her shirt back on, though she doesn’t linger on why just yet. They have to finish these first.

It doesn’t take long luckily, as they’re both approaching the ends of their projects. Hotaru puts her dress up on the mannequin and steals Tal’s cloak and vest to do the same on the other and stands them together, admiring their work. “I think we can call that a job well done, hm?” Turning with a smile that grows into a dangerous grin, she grabs both of Tal’s hands and starts walking backward into the newly cleaned and cleared space where they’d been working.

“Now let’s get started on those dance moves!”

- Fin <3