Dressed for Distress

Uta wanders into the shop with her usual lost-in-the-clouds expression. Especially in a place like this, one thing is of note: her outfit is lacerated by long gashes, the obvious result of a monster attack. It is also charred all over, and some places are downright burnt away. If that was not enough, acid has eaten enough holes into the outer layer to give it a vaguely swiss-cheesy appearance (and leave the inner layer stained). It's also torn, frayed, so much someone might wonder how the thing still manages to hold together.

    "...Now, if only I could remember /why/ I've come to visit Gwen..."

Gwen @emit There's two women in the shop right now one is Gwen the other is a dusky skinned Spriggan who seems to be going over stock and Gwen? Gwen looks unsettled as she watches this woman. She looks to Uta as she enters thankful for the distraction.

"Welcome to the Chain Mail Bikini +1 how can I help you today Uta? Need something made? Fixed? Finally going to get a second outfit?"

Meanwhile the other woman is sizing up Uta much like Gwen normally does.

    Uta snaps her fingers and points at Gwen. "...right! Now I rememer! I need my uniform fixed." She pauses for a moment, and adds, "...and I suppose I might as well get a second outfit. I mean, I will need one while you fix mine, and... well, up to now I've thought my outfit was pretty much indestructible and all I had to do was menu-wash it every now and then, but I've recently discovered that items have HP too.. so... uh... a disruptive wardrobe malfunction is a definite possibility, and I'd rather not undergo that in public." She turns her head, slowly, and says, "Hi! Pleased to meet you. As Gwen has implied, I'm Uta."

Gwen says "Durablity is a thing my friend. I can easily fix up your outfit. Also you may lose the item if the durablity fully gives out too. You there in your underdoos. Not a fun situation. It will be 30 gold for the repair as for the outfits look around and pick out something you like."

There's things like sun dresses, and various winter outfits. There are also things like socks and small clothes too.

"Hello there Uta? One of Gwens friends? Hello I'm Mori Pendragon her mother."

The woman grins a bit.

"With a form like yours you should have more fun with it. I know I embraced mine."

Gwen does something Uta has never seen before for a second she looks embrassed...

    Uta replies, "It's a deal. I'll pick something to change into first, then, so I can un-equip this and give it to you," while browsing the shop section that Gwen's mother would probably consider 'not fun' with the look of someone of who has no idea of what she's looking at.

    "Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Pendragon. My, I would say that you look more like Gwen's sister than her mother, were it not for the fact that you two are different races, and I have no idea of just how bizarre genetics is in this world."

    She turns to Gwen's mother with increased puzzlement. "...More fun?" She spreads her arms and glances down at her devastated outfit. "...what kind of /more fun/ can you conceive that results in something more intense than the effects on my clothes currently show? I'll say, I am simultaneously intrigued and terrified at the prospect..." And then she looks up again at Morri. "...what do you mean you embraced yours?"

Morri laughs "Why? That's the race I picked at Chargen. I'm showing off what I have now. You should have fun with what you have."

Gwen shoots Morri a look.

"Mother..."

She looks back.

"Oh come on I'm behaving dear."

Gwen just grimmaces a bit more.

"She's been like this since we arrived in this world."

    Merek steps into the shop with his dark attire on, from the waistcape to the hood which he wears. The man looks around while he begins to browse, not involving himself with Gwen and Uta's conversation, at least not at the moment.

"Really?", asks Uta, with a smile. "What a coincidence! Me too! I mean, I've been this race since I arrived in this world. Because the Apocalypse pretty much happened on my first session. Man, was it a cool few hors those before the apocalypse... I was at Reika's concert, and I got a screenshot (which the BLACK WAVE destroyed! Grrr!), and I met Xander who was a top-tier raider, and I met a cool guy who was doing things with the game, and there was giant chickens... it was amazing!"

    After some thinking, Uta continues, going off (or back to?) a different tangent, "...Oh, you're referring to the age-old debate of how to balance our pre-apocalypse identity with the post-apocalypse avatar we are currently inhabiting, and whether to lean away or into it! Admittedly, I /do/ find the whole issue mystifying, and have not yet reached a decision on what the best course of action is... although I have also found out that, when one interacts with the landers, /well/, there's nothing much one can do but roll with the expectations placed on the avatar."

    She shakes her head. "Sorry, sorry, I tend to talk too much and go into tangent... anyway, uh. I somehow get this vague impression that you would like to offer some suggestion for what I could possibly pick? Or am I mistaken?"

    She doesn't seem to notice Merek, at least not for now.

Morri looks honestly sympathic.

"You got the rug pulled out from under you it sounds like. Reika that idol bar right?"

Gwen nods at this in agreement."

Morri beams.

"Yes I'd love to help you, since it is still pretty earily spring we can't get you into something really fun. That will have to wait till summer. Though do you ahve any wave tattoos?"

She asks as she settles off to help Uta with finding something to wear. Once that's handled, Gwen will get to work on fixing Uta's clothing.

"Oh hello there how can I help you sir?"

Gwen pauses looking at him.

"I see you like western 90s comic books for stylings what can I do for you?"

    Merek looks to those speaking with him, and nods a bit, while he takes a moment to think about it. "I was browsing, looking to find better leather armor," he mentions.

    "Wave... tattoo? I... I don't think so? I mean, I'm not a fish were fang?" she sounds confused. "Or does it mean something else? Although, to be fair, uh, I have no idea if I've got any tattoos. I've never disrobed while in this body. I've always bathed and done laundry fully clothed, using the menu..." She sighs and looks contrite at Morri. "...ok, /this/ is what you meant when you said I need to embrace what I've got more, isn't it?"

    When she notices Merek, she smiles. "Oh, hey, I remember you! You were there when I joined, before the apocalypse, right? Weren't you?" She flicks her finger, and while the bystanders might not see the menu itself, she's clearly navigating through it. "Now, uh... to change into the new outfit..."

Gwen says "We have some but I'm not sure if it might be in your style. We're currently focused on the quality of life clothing at the moment." Gwen looks to Uta for a moment then Morri says "You might want to go take a bath at some point you know normally?

Morri seems to grin at Uta's choice as Gwen gets to work.

"So check the wrack to the left. That's what leather armour we have at the moment."

    Merek would nod a bit, "Everything you do should be natural or you'll not be able to manage well," he mentions then to Uta, while he looks to Gwen. "Well, I'll look at what you have," he adds, beginning to browse in the shop.

    Uta frowns. "Oh, yes. I should get me some armor at some point. I forgot about that!"

    "That's what pretty much everyone's been telling me. I mean, it's been, what, about two months since the apocalypse now? I guess that at some point one has to stop using the menu and looking into doing things the old fashioned w- wait a minute. That reminds me. Do in-world clothes have a 'washing instructions' label? Stuff like... 'Do not menu wash. Do not fire-magic dry.'?"

Goldenblade enters the shop at this point. She'd come by earlier in the day to help Atif pick out some formal clothing, or at least that was the result of what happened, but she'd meant to do some shopping for herself. Or, well, summer was coming up. Her current outfit, which was pretty hard-wearing, being made of chainmail, would grow sweltering if ... well, if this were the real world. Would that follow through here? She has no idea. But better to have something lightweight anyhow, just in case. She /can/ menu-repair her armor, she's found, though it has only been mildly abraded in her recent adventures. She's not as sure about being able to fix normal clothes.

Gwen says "All right then if you need anything else let me know."

She looks at Uta for a moment.

"Be careful with fire drying and you should take a look at yourself in the mirror."

    Merek nods to the people, and offers a light wave, "You all take care."

    Uta waves at the leaving Merek. "Bye, see you next time!"

    "Hi, Goldie, welcome!", she greets the newcomer.

    "I will. But I can't do fire magic anyway, so the point is moot. Air is more likely, though. So I'll be careful with that."

    She looks around. "Wait, there's a mirror? Oh, look, hey, there's one!"

    She walks in front of it, blinks, and points in shock. "...That's the girl from the menu!", she exclaims. "What's she doing in the mirror?"

Goldenblade nods to Merek as he heads out, smiles to Uta. "New outfit?" she asks. "And ... what?" Uta's confusion has now confused her, perhaps because Uta hasn't changed, but since Uta's confused, she's trying to work out why. Scarily, she considers Uta one of the game experts, and compared to GB, she kind of is.

Gwen pauses for a moment at Golden and grins "Hey Golden good see you what can I do for you today?" She looks to Uta and pauses for a moment. "The menu? That's Uta, that is you, that is your Avatar or I should say it is your body Uta. Just like I'm Gwen."

Gwen says "Take care Merek and if I can't get what you need I can likely make it or find you someone who can."

    "Ya, that's you," Merek adds to the conversation, then nods to the people's words, before making a way from the place.

    Uta stares at the mirror in disbelief for a few seconds. "...OH! Right. RIGHT. I remember now." She rubs her face, eyes closed, brow furrowed. "...bad brain. No cookie. Don't forget things of this importance!" She underlines the sentence by giving her forehead a little slap.

    She turns to Goldenblade. "Mine was almost destroyed, I need a spare."

    That said, standing in place, she turns her torso to take a better look at her reflection"...but, that said, Goldenblade... this is odd. I thought I had picked a jacket and long pants, yet this is more like... uh... the pants are short, however-" She turns to Gwen and Morri, alternately. "What /is/ this, anyway? A very short dress, or a very long waistcoat? I can't tell!" She looks down at her legs, lifting one to take a better look. "And what's with the long... socks? What are theeeEEEEAAAAAAH!"

    *THUD* -- Uta falls backwards, her whole rear part glowing red as she impacts against the ground.

    She stands there, wincing for a second, muttering, "HOW did I lose balance? I'm a martial artist, for goodness's sake..."

    She lifts one leg, lifts her head a little, and takes a long, careful look, also turning and bending her lower limb, eventually noticing the soles of her shoes, and the heels, visibly higher than what she was used to.

    "...wait, who glued two mini-stilts to my shoes?"

Goldenblade smiles to Gwen, and says, "Hey there." She looks around, admits, "I'm looking for something to wear that won't be sweltering when the summer weather hits. But I don't know much about women's clothes." She hrms about finding someone who makes things, and says, "I can make armor, I think, though I'm not clear on how. But I think I have the skill. I just don't know how to use it."

To Uta, she nods. "You were looking a bit rough before. You look fine now." She blinks as Uta flops, and erms, "You're not used to heels, I take it?" She asides to Gwen, "I've never worn heels, either, so I'd like to avoid them, if I can." Back to Uta, she suggests, "They hold your feet in position as if you were walking on your tiptoes. So if you imagine yourself on tiptoes when you're walking with them, you might find it easier?"

Gwen says "I made that one I can do something about the shoes if you'd like something else but that otufit did come with Heels." At least it's not Korean MMORPG level /heels/ which are like often half a foot for some reason. "A number of outfits come with heels or mysterious get them if a woman puts them on."

SHe notes. "Yes I know I had to wear them at the office..."

    Uta makes a really impressive imitation of a newborn deer as she manages to eventually stand up (not without a lot of trembling in her limbs). "...Tiptoe. Tiptoe," she repats, and once she manages to stabilize herself, she breathes in, deeply, carefully lifts one leg, actually with far more care than needed (c'mon, people, it's not /that/ hard... as said, it's just walking on tiptoes!), she places the foot a small distance from where it was.

    "One small step for a man, but a giant achievement for a woman?", she wonders. Eventually, confidence is regained, which, seriously, was the main issue in this situation, and she manages to somehow get around. With care. "...I think I'm getting the hang of it..." And then, with the smugness of a cat who pretended to have messed up on purpose, she adds, "...this is no problem for a martial artist acrobat like me. I was just, you know, taken by surprise."

    Which might actually correspond to the truth.

    "Oh, I've been meaning to get myself some armor, Goldenblade! I'd love to buy some from you, if you end up making it!"

    "...so, I think this... pretty much settles it, right? I leave the old outfit here and pick it up at a later point?" She turns to Morri. "Thank you for helping me choose, uh, this. It's really appreciated."

    She might not sound really convinced about liking what she's wearing, but one thing is for certain: she is not merely faking appreciation to be polite, she is making a genuine effort to actually appreciate it.

    "....sooo, you worked in an office, huh? We learn a bit of Gwen's mysterious past... may I ask what kind of office?"

Goldenblade's entire knowledge of heels is the times her wife had to wear them. Which were not that many, since traditional Japanese clothing is generally are flats, or at least level, like geta, the flipflops with wooden slats underneath. But heels are part of Western formal, and she's familiar with that, too. Her date at prom stumbled a bit, herself. She chuckles at such a distant memory.

She nods to Uta, and says, "I'll make you some if I ever learn how to use my skill. For myself, also, though it'll have to be something light to go with my fighting style." She looks over to Gwen curiously. An office worker can be so many things, after all. "And coaching for the heels, if you can? I've seen then worn, but never worn them, myself."

Gwen watches as Uta starts to try and get used to them. She laughs a bit at the comment for a moment.

"Not bad and yes getting good armour is something to keep in mind while looking good when you are not in combat getting a good combat set is always imporant. Yes I'll have it done by tommrow I think."

Morri smiles at this.

"Glad to help you with it. It does look good on you Miss Uta."

She looks at Uta.

"For a warehouse actually, lots of heavy product going through. Had to make sure nothing went missing too."

"I'd be happy to handle both lets find something for you, and to help you with learning to use them."

Uta raises one hand. "Oh, yes, yes, I'll need some kind of light armor myself. Martial arts. Need freedom of movement. I'd ask for something that doesn't develop heels when worn, but at this point I've lost hope."

    "...also, Gwen, unless you're teaching us how to use heels for acrobatics, make music, cure people, or basing a combat style around them, I think I'll just stick to practicing on my own..."

    "...thank you, Mrs. Morri?"

    And then, back to Gwen. "...Oh. Having worked in a warehouse will certainly help you with keeping track of inventory."

Goldenblade hrms at Gwen as a warehouse worker. Life sure has odd turns. Though perhaps that applies to her as well, as a former bricklayer. She nods to Uta, though, and says, "Hopefully I can figure it out soon. Though for light armor, maybe leather might be better than a heavy steel plate?" So much to consider. "I sort of had a plan when I made this character, or an idea, I guess I should say, gold katanas and lightweight golden armor, like a minidress sort of thing." She shrugs. "This," she looks down at the mail coat and swords, "was about as close as I could get with starting equipment."

Gwen says "That sounds doable I have some plans for those I'll just have to make them by hand which I should be down. We can do a custom job for that then." Gwen's armour doesn't have heels after all. she can meet thart reuest.

"Why leather armour works here I have no idea."

She makes a face and nearly goes into a lecture on the topic but does not. "I should bea ble to makle that order it should take me a bit for both of them however. Good to have a plan."

    Uta says, "It's okay, don't rush it. We can do it next time. Besides... gotta save the gold, right? For now we stick to repairing the old outfit and buying the new one, I dont' think I can afford a custom-made -- wait. Will the armor be cheaper if it has heels?" She scratches her chin. "I am starting to see an upside to this..."

Goldenblade's armor doesn't have heels, either, though she might have selected it for the male avatar. So much of chargen was confusing to her. "Well, like I said before, the armor I've got on doesn't protect me, that I can tell, so it might not be that I can make actual protective equipment, just armor-looking costume pieces." She shrugs helplessly.

"I mean, I don't think I've seen anything that offers -actual- protection in the game." She smirks and nods to Uta at the idea of discount heels. "That would be ironic. Heels usually jack up the price in the real world."

Gwen says "That's funny isn't it? It's kidna funy how it goes before things changed the more skimpy it was the higher it went for. It's funny how that goes. So I'll get to work on something for you then I have your specs is there anything else you need Golden? Sides with heels? I'm like six foot as it is."

    All sorts of budget calculations go on in Uta's head, along with evaluation of pros and cons of various choices, in a majestic clash of money versus dignity.

    "...Armor with heels it is for me then," finally declares Uta. "...if it makes it cheaper at the same level of effectiveness."

    "Anyway. I really have to go now. See you next time, folks!", declares Uta, as she confidently strides out of the door.

    And slams her face on the ground, glowing red as she does.

Goldenblade laughs in agreement with Gwen, about the prices and all. She shakes her head to Gwen, and says, "Oh, if it's all the same, I'll skip the heels, too. Last thing I need is to break one mid-fight." Is there anything else she needs? "Nah, just something for normal adventuring wear when the weather's too hot for this." She taps her mail hauberk.

She hehs as Uta goes with the heels, but then acks as she faceplants on her way out the door, and she'll rush over to help her up. "Are you OK?" she asks. "You'll be fine with practice," she assures her.

Gwen says "Done I'll need to get to work on these orders, I'm going to be busy getting them done in time as you need this for the tourament right Goldenblade?" She notes with a grin she seems to be getting ready to get to work. "I want to make sure it it good, and you look good for the tourament too."

Goldenblade says to Gwen, "I don't need it for the tournament. Just before the weather gets too hot." She's gotten used to what she's got on now, changing it up before the tournament might cause her confusion. More than normal confusion. "Thank you so much!"