Last Preparations

* * * A few days before * * *

A very confused Uta steps out of Gwen's Chain Mail Bikini +1, carrying a few shopping bags (likely made of something theme-appropriate like cloth or wicker, likely? Unless thick paper is cheap and available...)

"What... what just happened?", she wonders aloud to herself. "All I remember was walking in for an important mission in Kallamore, and the next thing I know is-"

She looks around at her bags. "Wait, are all of these clothes? Who needs all these cloth- oh, wait. I do. Along with a bunch of people. Like..."

At this point she starts rattling out names, starting with Erufu and then going on and on and on; names of people for whom she's supposed to pick up Palace Lands 'costumes' as part of their infiltration mission.

Goldenblade is walking through the town in between missions, she tends to grind what would normally be considered lowbie contest most days because she doesn't really have a concept of time off, and none of her big projects seem to be working. The Landers won't talk to her or something else is broken, but she makes do as best she can. Uta wandering by talking to herself with shopping in hand does draw a smile, and she greets, "Hello, Uta," as the Spriggan passes by where she was standing by a food vendor's booth, grabbing a snack. "You planning on a fashion show?"

Gwen was happy for the order to team heading to Place land hell she's wearing a red Quipo at the moment that's very darn fancy looking. She looks ove to Uta for a moment. "Yes these are for the team to not stand out, Uta. Right are you okay?" She's concerned at Uta seeming a bit more scattered than normal. There is a pause as she looks over to Goldenblade for a moment. "A Fashion show... I'd not been....." From inside the shop and outwide with Gwen both she and Morri whom had overheard things say in uninison.

"THAT IS A WONDERFUL IDEA!"

"Oh, hi, Paula!", Uta greets with a big smile. "I see you're grabbing a snack. That's good! I should probably get something myself." Some silence, while the gears in her brain crank along. "Oh, uh... fashion show?" Frown, focus harder. "Actually, I think that might be exactly what has just happened back in Gwen's shop-"

There comes the unison!

"...Paula, you gave them ideas." She lowers her head, and her volume. She whispers to Goldenblade, eyes popping out in panic, "-Never- give them ideas!"

Goldenblade looks from Uta to Gwen to Morri to Uta again and huhs. Apparently fashion shows do not occur to her as an actual thing, more as a comment on how many clothes Uta has acquired. She smirks as Uta greets her by her character's actual first name, that still amuses her. When Uta considers a snack, Goldenblade will offer her one of the pair of muffins she'd just purchased, still warm, and says, "Have one, they're pretty good." Goldenblade doesn't buy a lot of 'real' food, so this is a luxury for her. At the mention of giving Gwen and Morri ideas, she huhs and says, "What? This is medieval times. Who's got fashion here? The Landers all wear whatever they're programmed with, and the players dress to maximize defense." So now you know how GB picks her clothes. "Why would anyone care about fashion?"

Uta's pupils expand to an alarming size at the sight of Real Food.

"Muffins!", she gasps, and, after looking around and placing her bags somewhere safe, promptly accepts the offer. "Thanks, Paula! I'll make sure to repay you in any way I can!"

And into the muffin she bites. Ecstasy itself spreads on her features, a visualization of the heavenly flavor on her tastebuds propagating its enrapturing effects all over the Spriggan. Yes: Wings do, in fact, flutter with excitement as the feeling of deliciousness spreads there.

It seems that they -are- pretty good, as Goldenblade said.

"I suppose it is for the same reason why they would back on Earth?" Uta offers at Goldenblade wondering about why anyone would care about fashion. "I suppose that if you were into fashion before the Apocalypse, then you probably still are here. That would make sense. And explain-" She turns to sweep the air and point at the Chain Mail Bikini +1 right behind her.

Mother and Daughter are in alignment on this idea. Yamato should be very afraid godddess only know what they will create for this. Gwen is grinning excitedly the worst part there isn't a hit of malice at all on her face or in her body lanauge she just innocent about this.

"Adventerurs do either a fashion show or a costume contest with a prize..."

Morri is meanwhil Ohojo Sama laughing like Naga herself inside the shop.

Goldenblade smirks as Uta devours the muffin. She likes real food, herself, but maybe Uta eats menu food more often than she does? She shrugs at the mention of repayment, saying, "Don't sweat it." She can only shrug at the mention of the Chain Mail Bikini +1, saying, "I think more of our players shop elsewhere," and raps the sleeve of her chainmail shirt for emphasis. "Anyhow, most of the players seem like gamers. They wouldn't know 'fashion' if dropped in their lap. My grandson who plays this game wears nothing but t-shirts and blue jeans when he's not in school. My sons at least wear suits, but they couldn't find fashion any more than I could. Their wives buy their clothes, for the most part."

Goldenblade looks at Gwen and Morri and decides she doesn't know enough about gaming. Does her grandson do that sort of thing? Fighting monsters, sure, but fashion shows? "Uh, good luck, I guess?" she says weakly after a thoughtful pause.

"Perhaps, Paula. I am not really into fashion myself, but some people really are, like Baroness Wake. The game offers a variety of options so that people who do enjoy whatever... uh... people enjoy... can... enjoy what they enjoy?"

Once that sentence is mercifully over, Uta snaps to look at Gwen. "Wait, prize? What's this about a prize?", she asks, frozen in place still pointing to the Chain Mail Bikini +1 from earlier, and narrows her eyes a Gwen. "There's something to be won?" Selective hearing for the win. "Please expand on this whole 'prize' part. As a cheapskate in both my previous and current life, I have a keen interest in what, in the business, is referred to with the technical denomination of 'free stuff'."

Goldenblade huhs as Uta explains about fashion and interests in the game other than hunting monsters. Goldenblade looks confused about that. She makes armor and weapons, she can see that as ancillary to fighting, so that makes sense. And her building skills followed her from real life, they're not really things in the game. And anyhow, building is important so you have safe places to sleep and such. The rest ... "Why?" But it looks like Uta's hooked on free stuff. The idea of fashion shows with or without prizes has no impact on Goldenblade, who just shrugs.

"Three words: Cheapskate. Free. Stuff." Frowns. "Which... well, if we count 'Three' and 'Words', would make it five words. But... I think we don't count those?", Uta mumbles, confused.

She waves one hand to dismiss that thought, and continues, "But seriously, money was tight in my family before the Apocalypse. We had to be frugal to make ends meet. That's how I grew up. And one of the main rules of 'tight money' is 'free stuff is free stuff'."

Goldenblade huhs, nods slowly to Uta. "Well, free stuff is OK, I guess," she agrees. "That doesn't happen to me, generally speaking, so I guess I never thought about that. I mean, my dad wasn't anything special. Just a working man. We grew up in a steel town. We didn't have much, but free stuff never really figured in, either." She shrugs. "Not that I didn't clothe my kids well enough. That's the nice thing about Japan, school uniforms are a big savings. And once they're out on their own, they choose for themselves." GB's player is one of those people who owned two pair of pants and made do, it seems.

Gwen has been playing things out in her head while her mother is doing much the samne and she looks to Goldenblade and seem amused about their grandchildren, She also looks to Uta for a moment and Gwen grins "Yes prizes likely some coin but also I was thinking maybe some custom orders from me as other prizes as well. Though humm Golden you might help as a Judge...."

"Oh. OH. This is about the contest you are coming up with," Uta says. "I thought it was a thing that was going on in general." "In that case, chim me back when you have decided what the prize is," she continues, returning to scarf down her muffin.

"A Judge?" Uta blinks. Look at Goldenblade. Look at Gwen. Look at Goldenblade. Look at Gwen. "But she just said she is not into fashion. Wouldn't it be better to involve someone with the Tailoring or Etiquette skill, like, I don't know, Jazuhanzu or Baroness Wak- oh. Oh. OH. I get it!" Her fist slams on the palm of her hand, held horizontal; the fist shoots up, index finger shoots out to point. "Among the expert judges, you want the 'Adventurer from the street'. How good does it look to the average person, uninfluenced by the artificially constructed expectations of those 'in the biz'? A fresh perspective which better reflects the actual effects garments produce on the common masses. Makes sense."

Gwen humms for a moment "Well someone who isn't would call out the sort of idioic fashion that they do in New York or Paris." For as wild as Gwen's stuff can be it's all street usable at least in Elder Tales.

"Yes that's what i'm going for."

Goldenblade smirks as Uta names Wake as a possible judge; that's someone she might have picked. "Yes, someone like that," she agrees. "I'm an old man," who just happens to look like a 22 year old woman, "and I don't much care what people dress in. Someone like Wake is much more aware of what's important. What I'm looking for in an outfit is Armor Class." Or whatever metric the game uses to determine how protective an item is.

Gwen looks to Goldenblade. "Very well fair enough, though I might hire you to build the Venus for it." She leans back a bit. "Well I shouldn't keep you anyone and someone needs to go distract my mother, so I'll be seeing you both."