Chapter Text
A small bell lets out a chime as the door to the tailor shop opens. The sound of rain of hitting the window fills the noise of the shop. Wet footsteps pause just at the entrance, just shy of touching the hardwood floor. You look around the empty tailor shop, the lights are on but no one is in sight. The small shop certainly didn't feel the same way on the inside.
As your eyes adjust to the lighting, you are able to notice a lot more. Mannequins line the walls and the outfacing window. Most displaying what you an assume is popular Eastside fashion. Not that you know much about fashion to begin with. One of the mannequins sticks out and is wearing some sort of dress you assume with a large flower around the waist. Another outfit pinned with needles to hold up the fabric. Flowers decorate the shop, either in vases or large containers.
The cool air of the shop makes you shiver, having gotten wet from the Blue Rain outside. As you focus on trying to warm yourself up a voice speaks up, "A customer in this weather? Oh dear you must be cold, let me get you a towel."
You hadn't heard any footsteps approach; the cold must be getting to you. You look up in time to see a purple haired woman bringing a small stack of bath towels towards you. She carefully hands them to you, avoiding your water soaked clothes. You start to dry yourself off and as you are, you hear the sound of something being poured.
As you finish drying yourself off you feel the presence of the woman once again. You focus and your breath stills for a moment. Undoubtedly now, the woman who has been helping you is the owner of this shop. Her outfit suggests as such as spools of thread hang on her side along side a pair of fabric shears. Rows of needles and pins are also next to the shears for ease of access.
Beyond the telltale signs of of her profession, a green shaw covers her shoulders. A long white sleeved blouse combined with a dark purple dress finish the look. You look up into her concerned eyes. Her hand hovers above your waist as she gently leads you to a small table with hot tea ready.
"Sit please. Have some tea, it'll warm you up."
You sit down on one of the chairs with the towel. The tailor sits across the table, sipping from her own cup. You being to drink yours, savoring the warmth. Now no longer shivering you are able to focus more clearly; you smell the scent of flowers in the air.
You saw a vase full of violets, poppies and a few other known flowers in a vase near the front. The whole shop also has a wide array of flora. The strongest scent is a carnation you presume, as you can now spot a very obvious carnation pinned to the woman's outfit across from you.
You both sit in silence for a bit, the air slowly drying out your clothes.
"Where are my manners, I must be loosing my touch. My name is Garofano and I am the tailor here," the purple haired woman says after refiling her own up.
"[Y/N], uh, thank you for the towels and tea," you say, voice slightly shaky from the cold.
"What a lovely name. Now I must ask, did the rain drive you in or were you looking for my services?" Garofano asks as she fills your empty cup.
"B-Both? I am looking for a few new outfits." The shakiness from the cold must be getting to you. You quickly decide that the cold must still be affecting your ability to think clearly. It certainly has nothing to do with the tailor's eyes lingering on you as she examines your body.
Garofano sets down her tea cup and stands up.
"Well, that I can most certainly help with."
She pulls some reading glasses seemingly out of nowhere as well as a measuring tape. The first thing that comes to mind is where was she storing those? First the towels, then the tea set, and now a notebook. This must be the power of fashion that you have been missing all along.
Second, when did she move to stand next to you? You back up slightly in the chair. You're not sure what emotion that was, but the brief intensity that flashes in Garofano's eyes startles you. Almost sensing your reluctance, the woman in front of you shifts back.
"I'll need to get some measurements so I can tailor the dress to you. After all, we want to make sure it fits you properly," the tailor says calmly. The tape measure lazily wraps around Garofano's arm, like a vine on a flower. You're mostly dry now thankfully as you stand up.
She pushes the chair aside and the tape measure begins to wind around your body. She is clearly an experience tailor and yet the yellow snake seems to linger longer than it should.
You try to focus on the wall ahead of you but the soft voice close to your ear brings you back.
"Breathe now [Y/N], we want the dress to fit just right."
Had you stopped breathing? You take a deep breath, the scent of carnations filling your nostrils. Has the smell been this strong before? The floral smell must be perfume as well. A small chuckle emanates behind you and you feel the tape measure move once again.
You can feel the warmth of her hands hover and maneuver around you efficiently. Even when she moves her hands away, you swear you can feel the lingering heat from her finger tips.
Eventually, her presence disappears behind you and you turn to find her looking over her notes. You look down at your dry outfit. You had been only in Eastside for a few years and still haven't had a solid grasp on fashion. Paradeisos had never really cared for such things. The white, sterile, sharp uniforms were all you had ever really known.
There had never been any reason to dress or explore something different. Everything had a purpose towards saving humanity; fashion is not going to be one of those reasons.
You had been rational; as everyone is in Paradeisos. Yet, your emotions was what got in the way. Despite rationality being the defining principle of those ivory walls, your heart wouldn't allow it. Now those white gates have shut you out and you're trying to make do in a new world. That little nagging voice has gotten nothing but louder over time. Listening to it once had your whole world tossed upside down.
A soft cough brings you back to reality. You really have to work on that whole 'spacing out while thinking'. Especially when someone as noticeable as Garofano is staring at you. She pushes her reading glasses up.
"I assume you have a few ideas on what you want," Garofano says as she prepares to write down your demands.
"I'm not to sure where to begin," you say, "I'm not too good with fashion…"
She looks up from the notebook. Her gaze softens at your uncertain tone. It leaves a strange taste in your mouth. Uncertain. You. So much has changed over the past few years.
"Well then, let me ask you a few questions and I'll come up with a few ideas," Garofano says.
She begins to ask you basic questions.
"What sort of clothes do you like to wear every day?"
You explain as best you can. Garofano's face is neutral, giving no hint of judgment. She takes notes every once in awhile, the pencil scribbling away.
"How about formal wear, any preferences?"
That makes you pause. Paradeisos didn't have formal wear. You really only had your uniform for formal events.
"I don't really go to those kinds of events," you state slowly, gears turning in your head. You look around at the numerous outfits on mannequins. None of them see to fit you.
Garofano pauses and looks up from her notes, "We can always talk about it more towards the end."
You nod your head. The questions continue one after another. You try to answer to the best of your ability. The tailor takes note of everything you say and writes it down.
Eventually the questions come to a close. The Blue Rain still pours down; it won't stop for another day at least. You stand up and place the deposit for the new outfits; ready to head out into the cold rain alone. Before you can make a single step towards the door, Garofano produces another item.
She holds out an umbrella (you really need to ask how she is hiding this stuff).
"Here, you might want this for the rain," Garofano holds the umbrella out, handle facing you.
"I can't possibly take—"
"I won't be there to serve you tea and towels to warm you up." Garofano says, a small teasing smile showing.
You freeze from the cold, words buffering in your head. That coaxes a laugh out of Garofano. The sound of her voice is dampened by the various fabrics in the shop.
"I'm just teasing dear, please take this. I would hate to see my outfits get ruined in the future," the tailor says, that smirk not leaving her face.
As you gather your belongings and take the umbrella, you turn to look over your shoulder.
"Lovely carnations you have."
For a beat she simply stares. Her eyes flicker towards a vase near the entrance that hosts a boutique of flowers. While lots of flowers dotted the shop, these stood out the most to you.
"They're one of my favorites, but I appreciate all flowers equally."
Her hands lingers over the petals of the other flowers, an almost wistful expression graces her face for but a moment.
"Carnations are rather resilient, able to survive on their own if needed." She slowly pulls her hand away from the vase.
The Blue Rain steadily drips down, each droplet making a little sound against the glass. The temperature difference making the glass foggy from condensation. You look at her, the expression you saw earlier completely gone in an instant. How she got so good at that, you aren't sure.
"Those flowers do look very pretty," you say directly. You're still not good at the subtly that others have.
Garofano lets out another one of her chuckles, "You're quite forward aren't you? Here I thought you shy from my earlier questioning."
She tilts her head in thought but then shakes her head.
"Come back in a few days and I should have those outfits drafted."
You smile and nod.
"Thank you."
"You're very welcome, [Y/N]."
With that, you turn toward the door.
The small bell chimes once more as you step outside, the warmth of the tailor shop quickly replaced by the cool mist of the Blue Rain. You're not sure what to make after that whole interaction. One thing for sure, it was nice.
Pulling your umbrella open, you make your way back toward your apartment.
Garofano watches as you leave through the foggy glass. She looks back at the vase. A single poppy surrounded by a variety of flowers. Carnations, violets, and thistles to name a few. Her soft smile shifts into a sad one. Being away from the Garden is a necessary evil, especially when hunting down Eastside Officials who would hurt her family.
She turns the open sign to close and begins to end the day. Not that there was much to do. She has carefully curated her shop's appearance. Not too interesting to attract lots of attention, but not too boring to where she would lose clientele.
She pulls the curtains to a close. What little light the gray skies were bringing are gone as the tailor shop is now lit by lights above. She turns to dim the harsh bulbs, just enough to see but much easier on her eyes.
As she picks up the wet towel, red lines begin to emanate on her hands— her mania flowing through her. Garofano gingerly puts the towels in the wash bin, wincing as the Hypercube traces fight against the mania. Normally, Blue Rain wouldn't hurt as much, yet that seems to be one of the prices for taking on new power.
Tossing the towels into the wash, she thinks over the day. Rain does keep customers away, except for you it would seem. Garofano goes back and picks up the used tea set and begins to wash the porcelain cups. Humming to herself, her mind drifts back to you. You were polite, quiet, shy even. Those were rare in her clients, often upper Eastside elite who don't even register her presence. Even rarer was you giving her freedom to design as she pleases.
Clearly, you weren't cut from the same cloth as the rest of them. And that intrigues her. She finishes washing the dishes, tea pot empty as you had gladly accepted cup after cup.
Before she closes out, Garofano checks on the flowers in the front. There is still room in the vase. Maybe she could add another flower to it. It would certainly bring more life to the room.