A very special commission

[clothes_make_the_man]

Who: Forrest, Sakura, Nephenee
When: July 11
Where: Lakshmi's temple
What: A special mission for Orihime

[It's been a few days since Tanabata, and Forrest is itching to get started on the special task Orihime set out for him in exchange for his first lesson in making enchanted clothing. His task is to make one or more pieces of clothing of sufficient quality to impress Fuujin. And since Orihime said he can recruit some help, he's decided to ask a few friends over to the temple to bounce some ideas around.]

Thank you both for coming. Normally I'm confident enough to handle commission work on my own, but this one is special. I have to make something that will impress Fuujin, and I've been told he doesn't like the new gods and shinki very much, so I want to make sure this one turns out well. And as long as I'm working for a difficult audience, I thought I might as well set my sights high: I'm going to try to make a new kimono for Amaterasu.

Comments

[mylanceisbiggerthanyours]

We're..makin' a kimono for the Queen o'Heaven?

[Holy crap, what an honor! And also kind of nerve wracking! But she's done fine detail work before, and she's sewn a lot...

Almost uncharacteristically, she nods with a hint of decisiveness. It'll be just like making something for Queen Elincia!..she hopes.]

W-well, as long as we make sure to get the right pattern an'design...shouldn't be too hard, right?

[Aha...ahahah...]

[festal]

( Forrest looks so confident right now as he starts to assign roles and hash out a plan. It's admirable,
really, but Sakura's still uncertain. This is a kimono for a queen of heaven and she's just... herself. She wasn't even a god until recently. What is she supposed to really say? But Forrest is counting on her and she twists the hem of her skirt anxiously and nods smally, )

I... I'll do my best.

( And hopefully that'll be enough? Maybe? )

[clothes_make_the_man]

I trust you both. I'm sure we can do this.

[For once, Forrest is going to have to be the solid rock of confidence that everyone else can lean on.]

I was thinking, since Japan is called the Land of the Rising Sun and Amaterasu herself is a solar deity... what if we went with a sunrise motif for the design? We can use lots of warm colors and silk brocade for texture.

[mylanceisbiggerthanyours]

Oh...that sounds like it'd be great. An' this time o'year, the shops got all sitters o'pretty thread an' stuff in summer, sunny colors...we'll have a real good choice in what we can use.

Reckon we should sketch out ideas for this? Y'all are more familiar with kimonos, but Ah'll do my best.

[It says something about how interested she is in this that she's barely stuttered, even if she's a bit nervous.]

[festal]

( Something immediately comes to mind. It isn't her original design by far but she definitely recalls seeing a beautiful kimono featuring a sunrise... it was old and folded away somewhere in the palace back home but she definitely recalls it. )

I... I might have an idea. It isn't my own but... th-there was a kimono back home...

Do you have any fabric already, Forrest?
( HOW PREPARED ARE THEY... )

[clothes_make_the_man]

[Does he have any fabric ready? Look at who you're talking to here, Sakura.]

Of course. I'll go and bring some of it in. In the meantime, there's a pad of paper and a pencil if you'd like to begin sketching out the design. We're probably about ready to get started with the pattern anyway.

[He'll head off into the next room to gather up some fabric and other assorted sewing supplies while Sakura and Nephenee start thinking about the aesthetics.]

[mylanceisbiggerthanyours]

Alrighty...

[As Forrest goes to get the fabric, she looks back to Sakura, a mix of interest and confusion in her features.]

What's a proper kimono even look like on paper? All Ah've worn is a yukata, an' Ah sure didn't design it.

[She isn't sure about how to start on that, but she also doesn't want Sakura to have to do a lot of the work by herself.]

[festal]

( She fidgets some when Forrest leaves. It's not that Nephenee seems like a bad person or anything but she isn't someone she's familiar with. It was fine when Forrest was around but with the just the two of them now, she can't help but be shy. )

Well... ( She reaches for the pen and paper, eager to find something to distract herself with a bit, ) Th-there are different kinds of kimono that you can wear f-for different occasions but for the most part...

( She begins to sketch someof the basic outlines. )

For the most part, the designs have the same parts...There's the main kimono and the sash and other things l-like the collar....

[clothes_make_the_man]

[Mercifully for Sakura, Forrest isn't gone long. When he comes back, he's carrying several reams of fabric in a variety of colors, styles, and materials. He's got all the staples - silk, linen, and satin - as well as the warm colors he'd generally associate with a sunrise. As he comes back in, he lays them out on the floor for everyone to look at.]

All right, that should do it.

[Smiling, he lets out a breath and wipes some sweat from his forehead. That was a lot to carry all at once.]

So, what did the kimono you remember from home look like, Sakura? Did you come up with any ideas for the accents?