Work Text:
“You took the measurements an entire week ago. I know you have a long waiting list, but the wedding is coming up soon, so surely you can make mine a priority...” The Fontainian woman pauses, adjusting the wide, floppy brim of her hat. Her nose crinkles in distaste. “Since when did you get a pet? There better not be any cat hair on my dress.”
“She's not a pet,” Chiori replies coolly. The cat curled in her lap purrs louder as Chiori scratches beneath her chin, cold eyes fixed on her customer. “And you should be aware that rush orders cost extra. I was not informed of any such deadline at our last appointment, therefore I am not obliged to meet it.”
“Miss Chiori, I already quoted you the dress budget! I shall not pay a single Mora over! I demand--”
“Then reconsider your wedding date. Chioriya Boutique's policies are non-negotiable. Either you will pay the proper amount, or you will wait for your turn like everyone else. Decide which matters more to you, money or time.”
The woman's cheeks darken as she mutters something under her breath. The cat's ears twitch, twin tails lashing. Chiori continues petting the cat, smoothing down her prickling fur, expression implacable as stone. She waits in silence.
After lengthy deliberation, the sulking woman agrees to pay the rush fee. She grudgingly signs a new contract before flouncing out of the boutique. The door slams behind her in a jingle of bells. Chiori heaves a mild sigh as she rises from her chair, gently pushing the cat to the floor.
“Damn. I suppose that means I'm behind schedule now,” Chiori murmurs. Part of her was hoping the bride-to-be would give up, but no such luck. Her shoes clack a sharp retort against the floor as she steps briskly to the sewing room, cat trailing at her heels. “You can stay and watch if you'd like, but don't get in the way.”
There is a sudden poof behind her, not unlike the crack of Chevreuse's musket fire, or the burst of Naganohara's fireworks over her hometown. Chiori does not even turn. She doesn't startle easily.
“That lady was such a meanie, meow. You should have heard what she called you!” Kirara announces with bristling tails. “I've had plenty of customers like her, but I've never told them off like you do... You're so brave!”
“You shouldn't let anyone push you around either,” Chiori replies matter-of-factly. “Customer or not. You're still a person, and you deserve respect.”
Kirara is suddenly leaning over her shoulder, those uniquely jade eyes bright and sparkling with admiration like always. She's so easily impressed. It's part of her innocent charm.
“Maybe I should send them to you instead of the Tenryou Commission,” Kirara giggles, rubbing her cheek against Chiori's shoulder in an animalistic gesture of affection.
Chiori's fingers stray to Kirara's face, trailing down her cheek to the point of her chin. “If anyone is that rude to you, my dear, I would gladly cut their ego down to size,” Chiori promises with a razor-thin smile.
Then she turns on her heel and peels away, all business again.
At her direction, Tamoto flits about gathering yards and yards of billowing fabric to start putting together the wedding train. The longer the train, the more ostentatious the show of wealth, or so it goes in Fontaine. Chiori holds up two samples of lace trim against the light, comparing the finer details. In order to not delay her other clients, this will have to be a long afternoon.
Kirara finds an open box to sit in, curling her tails around her knees as she watches the elegant whirlwind of action. Old habits die hard, Chiori supposes.
Kirara has been fascinated by the colors and textures of fabric since before her first transformation. As she measures and cuts her patterns, Chiori muses on the early days of Kirara's personhood, walking fashion disaster that she was. The silly thing had collected every trinket and bauble she could find, decorating herself with as many flowers and bracelets and clashing trends as she could. The Lady Kitsune may encourage youkai of Inazuma to immerse themselves in human society in order to learn by example, but clearly, aesthetic is not something one learns without a proper teacher.
Chiori also recalls Kirara diligently poring over books on her days off, teaching herself how to read with the determination of a Sumerian scholar. How proud Kirara had been when she showed up all the way in Fontaine on a delivery job, able to read address labels and maps with ease. Despite her annoyance at the expedited commission, Chiori finds herself smiling. Kirara's come a long way from her humble origins as the stray cat that used to follow Chiori around in the woods. But she still loves sitting in boxes.
(Surely neither of them could have guessed what the future held in store, but after growing up with youkai tales of fox brides and crane wives, Chiori supposes her life partner being a cat is actually pretty normal where she comes from. Stranger things have happened.)
“What is a wedding, anyway?” Kirara blurts, unable to hold back her curiosity for long. “Why do you need a big dress to do it, meow?”
“Dresses are the Fontainian tradition for women getting married,” Chiori shrugs, still focused entirely on her handiwork. “In Inazuma, they would wear a kimono and wataboshi instead. A wedding is just a cultural gathering people can decide to have, like a birthday party, or a funeral. Let me know if you're ever invited to one, so I can make you some formalwear.”
“Does every woman have a wedding?” Kirara asks, tilting her head. “Did you?”
“No,” Chiori snorts, nearly laughing at the ridiculous implication. If she'd stayed in Inazuma... “Don't need to.”
“But you like making stuff for them,” Kirara points out. “The dresses, at least. You just don't want one of your own?”
“More or less, yes,” Chiori agrees. “I like making people happy with my work. They want to look beautiful on such an important day, and I have the power to make that happen. I don't have any desire to be the center of attention myself. It's my work that I want to shine.”
Kirara settles, seemingly satisfied by her answer. Chiori allows herself to slip into the trance-like focus of creation, tuning out everything except what lies before her. Her hands move on instinct as her blades slice clean through the fluttering waves of fabric Tamoto feeds to her. Once the freshly-shorn pieces lay still on the workroom floor, Kirara springs to her footpaws and lets out a meow of appreciation.
“That was so cool! You're amazing!”
Chiori blinks, slowly returning to the present. She allows Kirara's arms to impulsively loop around her shoulders, pulling her into a quick hug before she draws back, tails whipping in excited circles.
“I haven't done anything noteworthy yet,” Chiori dismisses with a shrug. “But I'm glad you're still enjoying yourself. Try not to interrupt me, though.”
“I'm always happy when I'm with you,” Kirara replies without an ounce of human shame. “I like being in the same room together!”
“Hmph.” Chiori raises a hand to fix Kirara's crooked bow until it's even once more. It bothers her whenever anything is out of place. “I can't imagine why you'd want to spend your scant days off sitting here on the floor just watching me sew. It must be terribly boring.”
“It's cuz you're more like a cat than a human!” Kirara chirps.
Chiori's lips quirk in amusement. Well, cats do seem to get along with her, if Lynette is any indication. “Is that so?”
“W-well, yeah,” Kirara backpedals, tails suddenly twisting in knots. “In a good way, meow! You always say exactly what you mean. I don't have to guess at what human stuff means. You let me just be around you, and that's enough for you, and you don't want anything more. You don't mind that I travel so often and only see you some of the time. And I know if you didn't want me here, you would just say so! You're perfect!”
Chiori glances demurely away, pleased warmth coloring her cheekbones. That's not a sentiment often expressed to her.
“Most people hate my attitude, you know. That I'm so blunt. I'm rude and difficult to get along with, or so I'm told.”
Kirara's hands cup around Chiori's face, turning her until they're eye-to-eye once more. Chiori's expression softens with a rare fondness.
“Well, don't listen to them! That's the Chiori I love!” Kirara grins, sharp fangs gleaming. She leans forward until their noses bump, causing twin tails to wiggle with joy. “Stay like this forever and always!”
There are precious few people Chiori allows into her personal life when she is satisfied by her own company. Companionship isn't something she ever sought out on purpose. It's not a necessity. Kirara simply fashioned herself into an exception.