Honest Work [Solo]
Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2021 4:58 pm
52 Ash 121
The Commons, Kalzasi
Today, Charlie was working the front of the Steady Hand. He had worked quickly the past few weeks to eliminate the sizable backlog of work that had gradually begun to take over the back room like an inexorable tide. He had even cleaned up the trimmed scraps of fabric and either saved or discarded them depending on their usefulness.
It was harder than Charlie had worked all season, and he had his reasons for pushing himself. He needed to make for Zaichaer soon, and the last thing he needed was to keep his clients in Kalzasi waiting for the clothes they desperately needed for Frost. People extended Charlie an awful lot of grace, and so he did do his best to return the favor. Most of the time, anyway.
So now Charlie sat behind his desk, and only looked up when he heard the door open and strike the bell above it. There he saw a member of the Sky Guard smiling back at him.
Charlie did not dislike the Sky Guard, exactly. He was always just a bit wary of them, though. For a criminal like him, the Sky Guard were a bit more than symbols of hope and justice in the darkest of times. They were obstacles to be overcome or turned aside. He did not despise them as some criminals did, but instead always endeavored to be beneath their notice. That was slightly difficult now that one had waltzed right into his shop.
The Sky Guard was a mage, Charlie could tell as much by her robes. They were of decent make, but did not fit her well, and were a touch plain besides. She did not have the look of a battlemage, but rather a member of the infantry who specialized in magic. Those were common enough, and any patrol could use a mage or two when making their rounds.
“Hail, friend!” The Sky Guard said as she stepped over towards the counter. She was far taller than Charlie, and her big heavy boots did not help matters. Charlie could tell at once that she was a Dratori, a relative rarity within the city, rarer still within the Sky Guard.
“Friends so soon? A woman after my own heart!' Charlie replied cheerfully, rising out of his chair and circling around the desk. She was more than a full head taller than him, and regarded him with eyes of jade.
She took his comment well, her small smile stretching wider as she extended a hand to him. “Sorakabe Nadina.”
Charlie shook her hand. Her grip was strong, and hands calloused and rough. Nothing at all like his own. “It's a pleasure to work with you, Nadina, what can I do for you?” He asked.
“Well, I recently earned my rank within the Guard, and was given my armor and robes” She held out her arms to demonstrate how the fabric hung loose off of them and even pooled on the floor around her feet. “But I was too tall for their standard robes, and all they had were ones sized for Moratallen!” She was annoyed by that fact, but her smirk gave her away as not being truly angry. The guard was no small organization, and this problem was at least easily fixable.
“Well that won't do at all!” Charlie replied, looking over the robes. “It should be a rather easy job, I think. Nothing special about the fabric I should know about? Enchantments or other magic, I mean.”
Nadina shook her head. “No, nothing like that.”
Charlie then gestured to the fitting area, a slightly raised platform surrounded on three sides by mirrors. “Then we can get started now. Please, step right up!”
Once she was standing in the proper place, Charlie begun taking Nadina's measurements. It was quite an easy thing to do for robes, as they were meant to fit loosely and thus did not require excessive work on Charlie's part.
He grabbed his tailor's chalk and made marks on the sleeves and at the ends of the blue and silver robes. The fabric itself was thick and heavy, and Charlie was not looking forward to cutting and sewing it. That was part of the job when Ash turned towards Frost though. Everyone needed their warmer clothes altered, and many turned to Charlie for the task.
Once he was done marking the outfit, Charlie pinned the excess fabric to give Nadina a better look at how it would appear once tailored. It wasn't precise, but it helped visualize the end result well enough. “So, how does that look?”
Nadina turned herself in a circle, looking at the outfit in the mirror. “Much better.” She then shrugged the robes off, and was wearing standard leather armor beneath the robes themselves. She could have worn mail or plate if she had preferred, but that may have impacted her ability to weave spells in a decisive moment.
Charlie never had trouble with that, but such were the ways of a Mesmer. Other magics were loud and bombastic, but the Mesmer rune was subtle and cunning. There was precious little need for something so understated in the Sky Guard, except for perhaps the most elite battlemages.
“I'm glad you agree!” Charlie said, taking the robes in his arms. “I'm actually quite caught up on work. If you'd like to go and get yourself some lunch and return once you're through, I should have the robes ready for you!”
The Sky Guard smiled at that. “That's quite kind of you, Charlie. You're sure it's no great burden?”
Charlie waved his hand dismissively. “For a member of the guard? Please, it's the least I can do. Go on, enjoy the sunshine while you can! I'll have your robes ready quick as you like.”
Nadina left a short time later, leaving Charlie alone to tend to the robes. Slipping into the back, Charlie then laid the robe out across a large flat table. Then he retrieved his fabric scissors and set to work.
It was a long process to just cut the fabric itself. He had to cut slowly to avoid fraying the thick wool while also being careful to follow the lines made with his tailor's chalk. He took his time, cutting away almost a full foot of fabric from the bottom of the robe before bringing in the robes at the sides.
It was a simple enough project for Charlie to lose himself in, and he took to the work easily. Once he had trimmed the robes down to a more proper size, Charlie pushed the scraps off to the side of the table and begun the process of actually finishing the hem.
Charlie used pins again to hold the fabric in place along each seam and hem. There were dozens of pins lining the robe now, but Charlie used them as a guide while beginning to secure the bottom hem with a zig-zag stitch. It was rhythmic to do, and Charlie found himself again getting lost in his work. Doing the same action again and again was relaxing, and Charlie was soon finished with the bottom and moved up to secure the side seams with a slip stitch.
Nadina returned before he was wholly done, and Charlie heard the bell above the door ring to announce her return. Rather than stop entirely, Charlie merely lifted his head and turned towards the door separating the back room from the front. “Just a few minutes more!”
“No rush, thank you!” was the guard's reply. Despite that, Charlie did rush. He did not sacrifice quality though, and finished bringing the sleeves together again with another slip stitch on the inside.
Once he was through, Charlie stepped back out to the front room and looked out the window. Hours had passed, but Charlie felt more energized than he had when he had begun the work. Slacker that he was, Charlie could not deny there was a joy to work. He merely protested how often he should be the one doing the work.
“Please, allow me.” Charlie said helpfully as he stepped behind the guard and helped her slip the robes on.
They fit her astonishingly well, the robes now coming down past her calves and the sides following the contours of her armor without restricting her movement. The sleeves were large enough for her to get her arms through easily, even while wearing her armor, but were not so large as to pool fabric around her elbows or wrist.
Nadina actually gasped when she saw herself in the mirror. “This is excellent, Charlie.” She said, still a bit stunned. This was always his favorite part. The way a few subtle tweaks could truly make someone come alive with joy. Nadina had entered his shop as a member of the Sky Guard, but she was going to leave it actually feeling like one.
“I'm glad to hear it! I do think you'll find those robes to be a bit warm come next Glade. If you're able to get something lighter, I'll be happy to tailor those to fit as well.”
It would be months, at least, before she could requisition clothes for warmer weather, but the offer still made Nadina smile. “I'd like that very much.”
After paying for his service with a banknote, Nadina left the Steady Hand holding her head just a bit higher than when she had entered it, and Charlie was left feeling remarkably proud of himself.