第3: [text]

[unfollowing]

i'm aware i asked this a few months ago, but now i actually have materials to get started, so i'm asking again:

does anyone know how to sew? hand stitching, specifically. i now have really nice cotton (thank you, delight!!!) that we can make clothes with

right now, we have a bolt of white cotton fabric. if you want a different color, tell delight a happy memory, and she'll give us more fabric. but don't, like, dogpile her or anything. be nice, for fuck's sake

[Emily, who are you to talk about being nice...................]

if you're interested in sewing, meet me here: [and she attaches an image of a map with one of the shops circled]

Comments

[unfollowing]

that's kind of how i'm looking at it. stop over whenever you can. i'll be here pretty much all the time now

[stepford_smiler]

I'll be sure to be over soon then. My name is Hakkai, by the way.

[unfollowing]

good

i'm emily. nice to meet you

Text->Action

[stepford_smiler]

It's nice to meet you, too. I'll see you later.

[After finding the point on the map, Hakkai knocks politely on the door.]

[unfollowing]

[Emily is sketching at a table when Hakkai knocks, and she barely does more than glance up at the door.]

It's open. Come in unless you're here to kill me or something.

[You never know in shithole cavetown.]

[stepford_smiler]

[Hakkai comes in and closes the door behind him.]

I wonder how many people could actually be deterred by that.

[He lets out a light chuckle.]

Fortunately, I'm just here to sew.

[He goes over to her.]

Are you sketching out patterns?

[unfollowing]

[He could've just left it open but whatever.]

Depends on whether or not anyone is in the mood for murder. [Which could happen, we know.]

Right now I'm just sketchibg some designs. Patterns will take a little practice, but I can do it. The sewing stuff is right over there. [She motions to the end of the table, where the fabric sits next to some needles, thread, and scissors.] You can teach me, right?

[stepford_smiler]

[Hakkai goes over to the sewing supplies and looks over them.]

I can teach you.

[He nods.]

If you have any extra shirts, we can use it to create some kind of pattern. Shirts would probably be the easiest place to start.

[He picks up the cloth and rubs it in between his fingers. It feels pretty nice.]

We can use paper for....I think they're called "mock-ups"?

[unfollowing]

I brought a few garments [as if these things can be called garments] from the house, so we can start with that. And there's enough paper to work with, so yeah.

[Emily may have zero hands-on experience with this, but she knows the terminology and the theory. Already she feels in her element. She can do this.

She grabs a shirt from the pile next to her, then crosses to Hakkai and spreads it out in front of them on the table.]

Okay. Pencil and paper ready. [She holds them up. She is a Good Student, okay.]

[stepford_smiler]

[Hakkai looks at the shirt, studying it for a moment. He looks over at her.]

Since we're planning on making better clothing, we should cut this at the seams so we can trace out the pieces to make a pattern for larger and smaller sizes. Of course, we'll have to modify it a bit so the shirt makes more sense or if you want to stylize it.

[unfollowing]

Wish we had a seam ripper. [But a pair of scissors and her hands will do. Shrugging, she gets started on taking the shirt apart, talking while she works.] I kind of want to make things that people want, so every garment will be a little bit customized. Nothing crazy, just like, a lower neckline or a different length of sleeve. Shouldn't be too hard.

[She says, having no experience with this.] We should each make a pattern, so I can follow along with what you do.

[stepford_smiler]

[Hakkai nods.]

Small alterations like that shouldn't be a problem.

[Hakkai goes over to the pile of clothing himself and pulls out an odd looking shirt and begins to take it apart with a pair of scissors. He starts cutting the collar to make it a v-neck and chops the sleeves off.

After he's done hacking the shirt into his "puzzle pieces", he lays them on the paper and starts to trace them out.]

[unfollowing]

[Emily follows suit, only she goes for a racerback top instead. (Why not, right? Sometimes it gets hot in shithole cavetown.)]

This is a lot easier than I expected, [she remarks as she traces the pattern. Why did she never do this back home? Oh, right. No time. Too busy maintaining that 4.0 GPA so she'll stand out come internship hunting time.] Where'd you learn how to do this?

[stepford_smiler]

I'm actually just winging this as I go.

[Because that's just how he does things sometimes. But it's working and that's all that matters.]

I know the basics of hand sewing, but not much on pattern making. But I figured that if we tear something up at the seams and trace out the seams lines with a few alterations, we should be fine.

[unfollowing]

Could've fooled me. I only know this stuff in theory. I can, like, mend and stuff, but I've never sewn anything or made a pattern of my own.

[Who knew landing in shithole cavetown would lead to learning how to draw a pattern? It always sounded kind of complicated when she read aabout it.]

Not a bad strategy. [A pause, as she smooths out the fabric on her piece of paper.] How long have you been here? [Small talk is boring, but she's curious now. Who is this Hakkai guy? Where is he from? How shitty of a person is he? Because let's be real, short of Glacius and Sam, everyone Emily has come across here has been an asshole -- herself included.]

[stepford_smiler]

[Oh he's a shitty person all right. But he's the kind of shitty that you'd never think was shitty until someone makes him shitty.

Hakkai pulls off his piece of fabric and starts making tick lines on the paper where he's pretty sure stitching is supposed to go and where hemming possibly needs to be. It's actually all really accurate in spite of his lack of knowledge.]

I've been here for only a couple of months. Which is to say, a couple of months more than I would have liked.

[He smiles and sighs.]

But here we are.

And yourself?

[He glances over his monocle at her.]

[unfollowing]

[Shithole cavetown, where the people are fucked up and death doesn't matter.

If Hakkai looks at Emily at all, he'll find she's a quick learner. He's going at a good pace, too, so that she doesn't feel she's falling behind or that he's not fast enough.]

Same. [She shrugs.] I'm not really sure anymore if I want to home, though.

[Which may be the first time she's voiced that thought. Hmm. Well, can't take it back now, and what's the worst that c--

No. Not going there.]

[stepford_smiler]

[Hakkai glances over to her before looking back down at his tracings. He measures out centimeters using his finger to create a pattern with multiple sizing. They wouldn't have to make so many different ones that way.]

Not having to worry about housing or money is nice. And being able to ask for things from gods has its own rewards.

[He smiles a bit.]

I think the deal breaker for me is the emotional manipulation, mental trauma, and lack of vitamin D.

[He doesn't ask about her home life out of respect. It wasn't any of his business to know the nature of her world and how this place is better.]

[unfollowing]

[You're a bro, Hakkai.] Got me there. I'm getting way too pale.

[It's true. Emily misses the sky something fierce, but she imagines even Delight wouldn't be able to give them that. The fireflies were close, though, and so nice.]

Though if it's just Delight fucking with us, I don't really mind. At least she wants us to feel good.

[She gave them fabric. Emily may as well be a Delight evangelist right now.]

[stepford_smiler]

Hahaha. I didn't really play around with the fireflies, but they were a nice change from trying to murder random people.

[Not. That. He. Tried. To. Really.

Hakkai begins to cut the paper after he finishes tracing and measuring.]

I do appreciate the bar, however.

[unfollowing]

Tell me about it. [And that's as far as she wants to go on the murderous impulses discussion!

Much better to think about the bar.]

Same. And th coffee. And the fabric. [For someone so used to luxury, Emily sure is learning to appreciate the little things.] Never thought I'd learn to sew at all, let alone because this is the only way to get nice clothes.

[stepford_smiler]

Oh! She's made coffee? I know someone who would really appreciate that.

[Thankfully, the worst of Gojyo's withdrawals were over, but he still complained about the lack of coffee in their apartment.]

"If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself" is the phrase that would fit this. But it will be a useful skill to take with you.

[unfollowing]

Yeah, at the bar. She gave us a coffee cart too, so three times a week, we go out there and basically act like baristas for everyone. As long as we're happy doing it, she'll keep the coffee flowing.

[Delight. Is. The best.

She smirks a little at the rest of what he says, its bite tempered by the fact that she does find it funny.] I'm going into the fashion industry back home, so this'll give me a leg up on the competition.

[A leg up... to stomp the competition with.

Okay maybe not, but it'll still help her stand out.]

[stepford_smiler]

I'll have to stop by for a cup from time to time, then.

[He lets out a light chuckle at that.]

Who else could say that they've been inspired by an underground ruined city full of monsters?

[He finishes cutting out the piece of paper and holds it up. It looks like a piece of shirt to him!]

[unfollowing]

Definitely. The more, the merrier, the more coffee.

[#priorities tho. Emily spent too long wanting this coffee for her to just let it stop flowing.

Oh Hakkai...]

Nobody, because they'd get locked up in a psych ward if they said something like that.

[Actually... didn't Chris say the police didn't believe them about the wendigos? Oh god. They're not gonna end up locked up, are they?

At least her tank is starting to look like it'll be a tank when she sews it together.] Not bad.