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Post by Vapovile on Sept 11, 2021 21:53:33 GMT
Standing against a nearby coffee shop wall in the streets of Paris, Haruko tapped on her phone as she waited for her newfound friend and recruit to the Seamstress guild. She wore a pair of white pants and pink button-up shirt with small ruffles along the buttons, and a black open jacket over it all. Haruko knew she probably wouldn’t see Nara coming, being a master assassin...but she wanted to try anyway. Nara gently tapped Haruko’s shoulder from behind. She was wearing a striped black and white top with dark skinny jeans at the bottom. She took off her dark beret and smiled at the seamstress. It wouldn’t take much to notice there was a lot different to her image. Nara had a far healthier semblance, her skin tone was no longer an eerie pale white and her hair was black and glossy, albeit still short. “Hi...did I make you wait too much?”-She asked, her voice having a bit more energy than the last time they met. Haruko tried to contain her surprise, but couldn’t help taking a few steps back in surprise. With a huff and adjusting her hair, Haruko smiled at Nara. “No, I just got here myself, actually. Welcome to Paris, Nara! You look great.” Haruko’s eyes widened when she saw how healthy the assassin looked. Was she doing something with those ‘experiments’ she was told about in Japan? “You ready?” Haruko followed up with. “Thanks...I uh, had some help from Mai with my body and uh, I’m using all my strings here...Didn’t want to scare the rest with my appearance. I guess I am ready, just somewhat nervous.”-Nara told Haruko while fidgeting a little. “I see...so this is the most complete Nara, huh?” Haruko asked, walked up and giving Nara a quick hug and backing off. “I’m sure they’ll love you. Let’s go, it’s just down the street!” Haruko chirped, walking down the sidewalk toward their destination. Nara stiffened when Haruko reached for her, but ultimately relaxed, giving her a warm smile. “Alright then...let’s.”
The two soon arrived at a marvelous 3-story brick building with marvelously waxed marble steps leading up to the wooden double doors. The sign outside had an intricately cursive lettering etched into the wooden frame: Seamstress Guild. The sides were flanked by a garden of red, white, pink and gold tulip bulbs arranged neatly into rows. Haruko opened the door and the two were greeted by an unbelievably soft and secure red rug that led into the building, over the laminated wooden dark wood floors. A brass chandelier hung from the ceiling, illuminating the walls and pieces of artwork adorning them, mainly consisting of outfits from various ages or people famous within the guild. From down the hallway, a woman wearing dark skinny jeans and an orange top, carrying a suitcase that was attached to her belt. Her designer sunglasses were pulled upward, letting her see more clearly indoors.  “Heeeeeeeeeey, Haruko!” She spoke in a French accent, hugging the smaller woman and picking her up slightly, before letting her down. Her eyes then fixed upon the new girl. “So I assume this is the woman you told me about, no? I believe it was...Nara?” The woman extended her hand confidently. “Leone Fleury, owner of Fleury Tactical Boutique. Our motto is style and function for all your dangerous life needs, pleasure to meet you.” She said, giving a confident smile. |
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Post by othus on Sept 12, 2021 20:09:17 GMT
Nara extended her arms expecting the same sort of greeting given to Haruko but quickly switched to a handshake at the last second.
"P-pleased to meet you...yes, I am Nara, from the Musashi..."
The asassin seamstress gave a quick glance at Leone's attire and smiled. She certainly did not pale in comparison to Haruko, were all seamstresses like this? she felt so out of place. Her heart was pounding from excitement just from being there.
"You said tactical boutique? I look forward to seeing your work sometime, combat gear is...a big passion of mine"-Nara replied as she hopped slightly in place from excitement.
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Post by Vapovile on Sept 12, 2021 21:33:27 GMT
Leone noticed Nara preparing for a hug and took note of that during the handshake. Her eyes perked up slightly when Nara said she was from the Musashi, but held onto her comments until Nara was finished talking.
"Oh is it now?" Leone asked with interest, lowering her sunglasses and revealing her bright hazel eyes, looking Nara up and down. "I don't see any enhancements on your outfit...but you're able to see my work right here." She took a step back and showed off the outfit. "Looks normal, no? Well, there's magically enhanced fabric throughout, and triple layers of fabric for protection from cutting and blunt force damage. Here, watch."
With a grin, Leone drew a small knife from her back pocket, twirled it around, and drove the point into her thigh. She then pulled it back and showed off the slightly pricked material that was slowly pulling itself back together.
"Self-repairing fabric's a new thing we discovered here, helps lower the need to repair things during battle, yes?" Leone winked at Nara.
Haruko rolled her eyes at the display, Leone putting the knife away. "Leone's one of my longtime friends, we grew up together in the same school. Run by the matron here, as a matter of fact. You'll meet her soon." Haruko reassured. Leone chuckled. "Yeah, we go way back. Beat up some of the bullies going after our master seamstress here." Leone patted Haruko on the head, having her hand swat away.
"So, Nara. Combat gear you say? What do you usually work with? Anything exotic?" Leone asked, taking a seat at a nearby chair, Haruko pulling one out for Nara and following suit.
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Post by othus on Sept 13, 2021 15:05:18 GMT
Nara looked closely at the materials with excitement, she only took her attention away to listen to Haruko and Leone. she quietly sat down and looked around while she spoke.
"Um, yes, I like using uncommon animal products...I source them myself. Made a nine tail fox coat the other day and uh, a Blue Oni leather jacket. They are...pretty difficult to work with"-Nara slightly blushed as she talked about her work.
"I suppose I could show you some of it another day? If you want of course...I plan on opening up a shop in Tokyo in the next few days"
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Post by Vapovile on Sept 15, 2021 3:47:43 GMT
Leone nodded her head along with Nara's explanation...when it dawned on her exactly what she said. "...did you say blue on-" "Heeeeey, Leone. One second, please!" Haruko hurriedly went up to her friend and grabbed her arm, teleporting both of them into her Kaspa pocket dimension. The interior was a dimly lit lounge, with glass walls surrounding the room and showing a wide array of marine life swimming by. Leone sat down on a purple couch and crossed her legs.
"I know you said your friend worked with some unorthodox material, but sapient creatures?! Is she going to kill me and make a handbag out of my hips next?!" Leone snapped, Haruko putting her hands up in defense.
"Look, she has a good heart...but her environment also shaped her into an assassin. I'm hoping being around us will make her realize this is wrong and build some social skills." Haruko explained. Leone looked at the seamstress suspiciously.
"So you bring a professional killer here who wears her victims like fashion? You going to invite Ed Gein next? He also had a pretty unique taste in fashion." Leone spat back. "I'm not putting people's lives in danger for your experiment, Haruko."
Letting out a sigh, Haruko sat down next to Leone. “Look, she saved me and hundreds of others just recently, going against her employer’s orders. There is something good there. Can you please just give her a chance? As my friend?” Haruko asked.
Leone stared at Haruko for several seconds, then sighed. “I don’t like this one bit, but fine. Her conduct is on your head though, not mine. Let’s see what Miranda has to say.” She said coldly.
The two of them reappeared, back to their usual expressions. “Sorry about that, where were we? Oh right, the tour. Right this way.” Leone said in her usual tone, masking the distrust she now harbored.
The trio walked down the hallway, Leone and Haruko pointing out the various famous seamstresses represented by portraits. “And that’s Sylvia, she was from the Victorian age. Helped pioneer a cloth that could filter out many of the pollutants at the time.” Haruko said. Leone casually craned her head back.
“Sooooo...I said how Haruko and I met. How’d you two meet?” Leone asked, looking at Nara directly.
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Post by othus on Sept 21, 2021 22:52:24 GMT
Nara wasn't a social butterfly, but even she understood she had said something Leone had a problem with. Now that they both returned, she was sort of intrigued.
"I...met Haruko at one of our clan's outposts, shared some of my work with her and well...it's a long story admitedly"- Nara replied at the end, not wanting to elaborate all that much further, given her former reaction.
"So...Leone, your clients, I imagine some of them are mercenaries?"-Nara inquired. Maybe she could find some common ground there?
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Post by Vapovile on Sept 23, 2021 3:00:50 GMT
Leone took note of Nara being more hesitant to talk about her creations as she asked her question. She instantly knew where Nara was going with this, but out of respect for Haruko, would wait for Nara to throw the first volley in this potential verbal spar.
"That would be accurate, yea. I make outfits for all types, after all. Long as they aren't crazy people. Why do you ask?" She inquired, Leone testing to see if Nara would pull the trigger. Haruko looked on with dread, ready to step in once more.
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Post by othus on Sept 23, 2021 4:38:26 GMT
"I...guess I was curious about the kind of clientele you had, maybe some fellow clan members have bought your designs...I know of someone from my clan who is a...rather loyal customer of Ms. Miranda"
Nara replied honestly, she did not see anything wrong with her own line of work, and apparently, neither did other seamstresses, given their willingness to work alongside or for Musashi members. Was Leone really all that different? or was it something personal? that's what she wanted to find out.
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Post by Vapovile on Sept 24, 2021 0:11:06 GMT
"Oh really now?" Leone asked with interest. Nara knew of someone with the money to buy Miranda's products? Haruko was equally surprised to hear this, the group making their way through a set of double doors that led into a large sitting room.
Inside were wooden chairs and couches arranged neatly, with tables people could set their work on top of. A nearby wooden door led into the guild-sponsored supply closet, allowing people to ask for permission to take certain materials for their own projects.
Here was Cosmina, bouncing back and forth between the closet and her table. She had a dozen sketches before her and seemed to be having a difficult time choosing which to go off of. There were too many colors and styles in front of her to make anything remotely coherent, and she just kept grabbing more. She had heard mom’s new friend was kinda weird, and she wanted to impress her, but none of her ideas were shining through. She didn’t want to make a Halloween costume. She wanted to shine. Then inspiration struck, and she worked with every material in a frenzy of creation. It took a few minutes for something to take shape, a dress in deep purple decorated in little eyeballs of every color. They stared out in a transfixing gaze and she nodded with satisfaction. Just wait until that spooky friend saw this!
Leone chuckled when she walked in, resting the side of her arm on top of Cosmina’s head. “Heeeeeey, what’cha got there? It looks like something alien.” Leone asked, grinning. Haruko led Nara over to Cosmina’s table and gave her daughter a quick hug. "Hey there, Cos!"
“Nara, this is my daughter Cosmina. She’s been a part of the guild for a few years now, so she’s quite talented.” Haruko said, motioning to Cosmina.
“Hi Mom! Pleased to meet you, Miss Nara.” Cosmina offered her hand and tilted her head, showing deference to the assassin. “Do you like my dress?” She waved to her strange new creation. “I think I’m gonna give it a veil…”
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Post by othus on Sept 29, 2021 1:51:46 GMT
Nara held Cosmina's hand gently and looked at her design.
"The pleasure is mine, little lady. Yes, I am very fond of your choice of colors, If you are going for a this particular style, why not try a silk variant of tulle fabric for the net? I recently discovered shirokumo silk works quite well, it has enough rigidity but it's not coarse like synthetics. If you'd like, I could send you a few samples, just let me know the exact color tone you want, I believe Russian Violet or Eminence Purple would work just fine for this piece"
The Musashi slayer looked back at Haruko and finally went to her
"Sorry, It is exactly as you say, Haruko-San, she has quite a talent for this"-Nara smiled as she looked back at the dress one last time.
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Post by Vapovile on Oct 2, 2021 6:16:44 GMT
Haruko smiled when Nara praised her daughter's work, even offering some suggestions of her own. They waved to Cosmina as the trio stepped away. Haruko bumped Leone's side, making a gesture of satisfaction, eliciting an eyeroll behind her friend's sunglasses.
"I think Miranda’s finishing up her meeting soon, so we have some time before she’s out. Office is right over there.” Haruko motioned to the far wall, adorned with the guild’s coat of arms depicting a blue and gold dress, and a silver needle that connected to it with some thread.
Motion drew their eyes to a corner near the door. A big fluffy tail swinging in a musical rhythm. Aimi was dancing with a pair of earbuds in her foxy ears while engrossed in her own little project. Five mannequins were lined up near her table, three of them already clothed in similar attire. It was clearly inspired by kimonos, only modernized and slightly more revealing. Each mannequin's kimono was a different color and designed to show off a different personality. Aimi was working on a yellow one now and every now and again her ears would perk up, she would pause, then she would modify it a little bit to better fit whatever personality trait she wanted.
Walking over to Aimi’s table, Haruko waved at the seamstress to get her attention. “Hi, Aimi! Those are some beautiful kimonos you’re making.” She observed, glancing over the design. “If you had a second, I’d like you to meet a potential new member of the guild.” Haruko stepped back and motioned to Nara, Leone doing a more dramatic presentation pose with both her hands. “This is Nara.” Haruko said to the fox.
Noticing Haruko, Aimi popped the headphones out of her ears and skipped over to the group. "Hi, Haruko. Thanks, I'm doing my best here!" She looked over at Nara and extended a hand. "Oh, you're a pretty cute one, aren't you? I'm Aimi Maki, I specialize in traditional Japanese outfits. But a friend of mine made me interested in idols, so I'm trying to make costumes for an idol group here. What do you think?" She motioned over to the clothed mannequins.
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Post by othus on Oct 2, 2021 22:26:40 GMT
"...Cute?"- Nara looked at herself somewhat embarrassed, it was perhaps the first time ever someone actually referred to her as that, so naturally, she did not know how to react.
"I am Nara...pleased to meet you"-She said as she looked at the Kimono. The asassin seamstress felt the fabric and inspected every detail almost as if taking note.
"It's such a youthful take...you shortened the Hakkake and reduced the size of the Furi, yet managed to keep all the traditional elements in place. I see...selecting the Komon which is more informal allows for a more versatile adaptation to Idol apparel, It's...fascinating"- A light in Nara's eyes could be perceived as she looked at Aimi's work over and over again.
"Haruko...Will it really be ok for me to join? each and everyone here has a fantastic sense of their own style..."-She told the seamstress with a melancholic look.
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Post by Vapovile on Oct 3, 2021 19:09:05 GMT
"Ahahaha, I see you've got quite a sharp eye. And you're very knowledgeable. I'm surprised you didn't join us sooner, but I look forward to working with someone of your caliber," Aimi told Nara. Haruko motioned her head toward Aimi and nodded her head. “Does that answer your question?” Haruko smiled. “We accept all skill levels here! Cosmina joined when she was only an amateur, and now look at her. You are welcome here, Nara.” Haruko nodded her head, then turned to Aimi. “Thanks for showing us your work, Aimi! See you later!” Haruko waved as they made their way away from the table. "See ya," Aimi waved them off with her tail. "Try not to get lost again!" She added before putting her headphones back in and returning to work. Haruko rolled her eyes and turned her eyes back to the door, just in time to see them swing open and a beautiful purple-haired woman step through.  "Harukooooooo! It's so good to see you again!" She called over, voice flowing pleasantly like a river. She gave Haruko and Leone a quick hug, and turned to Nara, eyes narrowing in interest. "Why hello Nara, Haruko has told me aaaaall about you. I'm Miranda Adaway, president of the Adaway Academy of the Arts, and matron of the seamstress guild. How has your trip to Paris been?" She asked, motioning the group to follow her back through the doors she came through.
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Post by othus on Oct 15, 2021 1:12:16 GMT
"Thanks...I hope not to disappoint any of you"-She replied to Aimi's statement, then nodding at Haruko's.
"I am thankful, Haruko. Maybe we will be able to work together someday, if that's ok with you..."
When Miranda finally showed up, Nara rubbed her eyes and blinked slowly, for a moment it almost appeared like Miranda had a sparkling background of her own.
"It has been...eye opening, I hadn't seen this side of Paris before"-Nara replied as she followed, thinking when was the last time she had actually been to Paris, the only time she could remember was a brief trip she had made, most of her stay occured on rooftops tracking her target, and not down here, where all the fun was.
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Post by Vapovile on Oct 17, 2021 3:29:17 GMT
"This side of Paris? Fascinating..." Miranda said with interest, already knowing Nara's occupation from Haruko. "Right this way into my office!" Miranda chirped, opening the large ornate double doors to her office.
It seemed like a standard office at first. A large wooden desk sat at the edge of the room, with purple curtains along the walls pushed to the side to allow the full view of the city outside from the 5th floor. Miranda sat on the desk and crossed her legs, motioning to two comfortable-looking wooden chairs with soft red padding on top for the three of them.
"It's simple, yes? Such a beautiful view." Miranda motioned to the large glass window. The matron then broke into a small smile. "Why don't we make it a little more cozy in here?"
Flicking out her hands, the wall to their left stretched out several meters, Miranda pulling her hand down to allow for several sets of drawers to appear seemingly from the wall, and a large mirror folding out on top. Miranda flicked her wrist and the wall closest to the door flipped down, revealing a coffee bar that Miranda got up and casually walked toward.
"Coffee, anyone? Paris has the best in the world, though plenty of people wish to disagree. They're all wrong, of course." She said jokingly, Haruko and Miranda requesting a small cup each. Regardless if Nara accepted or not, Miranda sat back down behind her desk.
"So, miss Nara. I'd love to get to know more about you, and why you wish to join our guild. What's your ultimate goal as a seamstress? Do you wish to open your own shop? Keep it as a hobby? Work for someone and learn their craft? Please." Miranda motioned toward Nara, folding her gloved hands on the table and resting her head on top of them, watching intently. Haruko and Leone kept silent, having been trained since young to not interrupt Miranda.
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Post by othus on Oct 17, 2021 5:04:38 GMT
Nara accepted the coffee and took a sip. It was a bittersweet flavor, much like her current situation in life. She listened to Miranda's words carefully and after a few sips she finally got her answer.
"I...wish to be known for something other than my current line of work"-Nara finally stated.
"Everywhere I go, I am met with hateful eyes, scorn, fear and disapproval,from people who don't know the least of me, nor my line of work. I have been living under a permanent stigma... I want people to be happy to see me, to be proud to hire my services..."
Nara paused for a moment, she had never really spoken her mind out to anyone the way she did just now, It was probably time to open up and be honest, wasn't it?
"When Lady Clotho taught me the seamstress work, I was enamored by it. I did not choose to become an assasin...but i intend to become a seamstress by choice"
Nara was brought up to become the ultimate killer, and she was one of the best. To her knowledge, there were only a handful of individuals in all of Asia who were on her level. As grim as her line of work was, she took pride in it. Nara had become one of the best at something she did not even chose. what would happen if she tried her best at something she wanted?
"I cannot quit my current life...it would be unfair to walk away unscathed after all the lives i've taken, but...I wish to open up my own shop someday, so that I might live through my works in the future"
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Post by Vapovile on Oct 23, 2021 22:10:42 GMT
"I see..." Miranda said thoughtfully, turning her chair slightly and pondering this information. "Fascinating, you know Lady Clotho? Haruko, you never told me about that one." She said playfully, giving Haruko a side eye. The seamstress chuckled uncomfortably. "Er, yeah, I kinda forgot about that one. It was stressful on that mission, ok?" Haruko answered. Miranda shrugged her shoulders and turned to Nara once more.
"You simply must tell me more about this mentor later, Nara. It sounds quite intriguing." Miranda started. "So you wish to open your own shop, but can't leave the assassinations huh...?" Miranda asked thoughtfully. "While I am by no means an expert on your individual circumstances...I do know that you have come to the correct place." The matron smiled and leaned forward on her desk.
"Tell me Nara, are you familiar with Sherlock Holmes? He was a famous literary detective, and one of his skills is artful disguises to blend into the world around him. Though of course, I'm sure I don't have to mention how important disguises are to an assassin like yourself." Miranda gave a small chuckle to herself.
"My point is, humans build their sense of self by the way they present themselves to the world. And that self can be changed, both externally, and with enough time...internally." Miranda continued. "So if you wish to start changing yourself to an image you like more, let me know and I'll see what I can do." Miranda winked at the assassin.
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Post by othus on Nov 2, 2021 0:26:08 GMT
"I see...I have much to think on that matter, my body wasn't this healthy until recently"-Nara replied on the matter of her image.
"As for my mentor...there is not much I could say, she never spoke much about herself, kept her face hidden at all times...come to think of it, I haven't seen her again ever since, I haven't tried tracking her, but if I tried, then perhaps I could. I...have talent when it comes to finding people."
It was quite puzzling, Clotho arrived one day out of nowhere, taught her the art of soulstrings and left without a trace. Was that experience even real? With how busy her life was, Nara had not dedicated even a thought to the whereabouts of Clotho.
"Having said that...Is it ok for me to take this as your way of saying you approve of me joining?"-Nara said, avoiding eye contact with Miranda.
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Post by Vapovile on Nov 5, 2021 2:12:39 GMT
Miranda took down a few notes when Nara began talking about her mentor, keeping an eye on her body language. Nothing obvious showed that Nara was lying about what she was saying. Putting her pen down, Miranda placed her hands on her desk thoughtfully.
"I see...well, I would certainly love to exchange words with this woman, but no need to hunt her down. I think she's well aware of our guild." Miranda mused. She pondered Nara's question.
"Well, I see no reason to deny your application. You're clearly skilled with your craft, and have a vision on where you'd like to go. Do you have any objections, Haruko, Leone?" She asked, motioning to the two women.
Haruko shook her head. "Of course not, I was the one who put her name forward in the first place." She reminded. Leone was a little more torn. Miranda was clearly into the idea of letting her join...but did she know about the secret projects?
Miranda gave a sidelong glance at Leone. "I sense hesitation, Leone. I'll have you know that I have been informed about Nara's...unorthodox experiments. We'll discuss that another time." Miranda stated. Leone nodded her head. "If that's what you wish Mrs. Adaway...no objections." She stated professionally.
The matron clapped her hands together. "Wonderful! Here's my card..." Miranda slid her purple card with elegant lettering along the front. "If you need anything from me, please call. I'm sure you'll find that with the guild..." Miranda flicked her hand up, and motioned it to the back, causing a rectangular hole to open up in the seemingly brass ceiling, allowing natural light inside.
"...there is no ceiling to your potential here." Miranda said slyly. Leone rolled her eyes at the display. Miranda liked to show off to the new recruits.
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Post by othus on Nov 7, 2021 22:34:14 GMT
Just like that, Nara was officially a member of the guild. she looked up at the ceiling, the light gently setting on her face and smiled.
"I promise you won't be disappointed..."-Nara told Miranda and turned towards Haruko.
"Thanks...i know you are putting your name on the line here for my sake so, I will do my best to make you proud too"
Now she could finally begin her work as seamstress. Lucky for her, she already had clients in mind. Namely, every agent in the Ono Ha branch. With time, surely other branches would come to recognize her work.
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