2725/Fishy Fashions

Fishy Fashions
Date of Scene:	04 August 2015
Location:	Tomoeda-865
Synopsis:	The Dagonian waitress Minette pays a visit to the Boutique to expand her wardrobe!
Cast of Characters:	165, 422, Tomoyo Daidouji

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Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Summer rain has come to Tomoeda, warm droplets drizzling from steel gray clouds. On occasion, a flicker of lightning flashes above, soon followed by the low rumble of thunder. People rush from car to door, newspapers and bags held up to protect their heads. The humidity in the air is a clear threat that this light shower is only a precursor to heavier rains, and most would not want to get caught in it!

    Over at Tomoyo's Boutique, the girl herself can be seen in the windows, updating the outfits of the dressed mannequins to better suit the season. Yamazaki is passing her thin, sleeveless shirts, shorts and tiny skirts, sandals and sunhats! She has a little smile on her face, and her mouth is moving like she's singing something.

Ms. Fortune (422) has posed:
    There's one person currently in Tomoeda who isn't fleeing from the rain. Well okay there's probably several who aren't, but...

    Minette Kingriver is in Tomoeda, walking along slowly, looking up at the sky and smiling. Droplets of water splash her in the face, and she doesn't even blink. She LOVES the rain... But that's only to be expected from someone who looks like a humanoid fish.

    Minette very slowly makes her way to Tomoyo's Boutique, relishing the weather, before, alas, she has to go inside. Dingle ding!

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    As Tomoyo mentioned over the broadband, Minette gets some curious looks, but no glares or anything! A couple of schoolgirls actually come up to her and ask if they can get a photo with her! Other than that though, her trip is uneventful, and she reaches the Boutique without even a single unkind glance.

    As she opens the door, the bell jingles, and Minette catches a few notes from Tomoyo's song. "-ll right, daij-oh! Welcome~!" She climbs out from the window front, smiling... until she catches sight of Minette. Her face goes blank for a moment, one long enough that might make someone think that she's horrified by what is before her...

    But then her eyes seem to sparkle, her whole face lighting up in awe. "Oh my goodness, you look /so cute!/" She leaves Yamazaki to finish dressing the mannequins to rush over and take Minette's hands in her own, squeezing them fondly (and also to see how her skin feels).

    "A-Ah! Uhm, sorry..." She coughs, cheeks going a little pink before bowing her head to Minette. "Welcome to Tomoyo's Boutique~ A-Are you Minette?"

The Traveller (165) has posed:
    'But first, let me take a selfie'...

    Having scoped out Cook Island earlier just to make sure that it's safe inbetween his and Reiji's fact-finding and internet-data-crunching, Ren has found time to sweep the floors at Tomoyo's boutique. Not like anyone asked him or anything, he just found a broom and started doing things, really.

    He takes a glance as Minette enters the store, giving a wistful smile as Tomoyo comes over to greet her. Ah, it has been a while since he's seen anyone quite like Minette...

Ms. Fortune (422) has posed:
    This is a slightly odd feeling for Minette. She's more used to not being given a second glance, or people 'surreptitiously' crossing the street so they don't have to pass her. The schoolgirls asking for pictures make her blink in confusion... then kinda squeal in delight at the teeny tiny cameras everyone seems to be carrying. She wants one! ... Not that there would be any cell phone reception in New Meridia.

    When Tomoyo stares at her, Minette tenses up a bit - then blinks once in confusion as she's accused of being cute. She blushes a bit. "O-oh, um... th-thank you?" She fidgets slightly. Her hands feel slightly damp, although that might just be the rain. Her skin feels slightly smoother than human hands would... "Y-yeah. That's me! You're Tomoyo, then?"

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Tomoyo hadn't known what to think of Ren just swinging by to sweep her floors! He's kind of a weird fellow, really. But, she's not one to turn down free labour. As such, she leaves him to it.

    "That's me! Welcome to my Boutique~" She gestures around, smiling modestly before going behind the counter. She waves Minette over as she fishes out her sketchbook from under the counter. "So, you wanted a new wardrobe, right? Including hats that will fit your head?" She looks at the fin coming out of the cute waitress' head, nodding with newfound understanding.

    "I can understand why hats would be a challenge for you... but don't worry! Making something to fit you should be no trouble~" Flipping the sketchbook open, she stops on a fresh page and extracts a pencil from her apron. "So~! Did you have anything in mind in terms of styles, or specific types of clothing?"

Ms. Fortune (422) has posed:
    Minette looks over at Ren and Yamazaki curiously for a moment. But she figures they're employees, so she follows Tomoyo over! "So, um. I'm kinda... not great at estimating human ages? But you look kinda young to own your own store..." She quickly holds up her hands. "Not that that's a... bad thing! Just..."

    "Oh, uh. Well, it has to look good underwater as well as out on dry land... And, you know, it shouldn't fall apart in water either..." She hmms. "I dunno I've never really been that fashio conscious."

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Tomoyo smiles knowingly and nods her head. "Nono, you got it in one~ I'm turning 16 in a few months, so... yeah! Normally I wouldn't be allowed." She giggles softly, covering her mouth. "But I have precedence on my side. The local council has a girl a few months younger than me on it, so..."

    She smiles softly. "We're getting off-track, but suffice to say? This store is all above-board and legally endorsed. So don't worry about shopping here!" Listening close to Minette's request, she stares hard at the girl before her. She's only gotten to work with one other person with a skin colour like this, and her request for clothes that look good in water is filling her mind with possibilities!

    Her eyes sparkle again as ideas begin to form, her pencil scribbling at paper, getting down a basic silhouette of Minette. Upon it, she begins to draw a dress! A sleeveless, backless one with straps that cross over her exposed back. The skirts have multiple tiers, with the first slanting to the left, the next to the right and so on, all the way down to mid-shin. They look very billowy! The shoes are sandals with straps going up to the knee! Said straps have bits of gauzy cloth hanging from them. Upon the head is a veil, hanging down her back. A close-up of it is drawn, depicting on how it can be split up and joined with concealed Velcro so it can easily be put on over Minette's fin.

    Afterwards, Tomoyo begins to make notes on the colour scheme. It seems the main colour will be black, but she adds splotches to it which will be mixes of greenish-blue and light purple. "I'm drawing inspiration from koi on this one~ But they're usually white and/or red, which would clash horribly with your skin~ So I'm going with the opposed colours of that, which should suit you much better! Also, it's designed so that it'll billow and float wonderfully in water, making you look very striking~"

Ms. Fortune (422) has posed:
    Minette gazes as Tomoyo begins to work. She's never seen the creative process up close before - usually her clothes are just bought off the rack, then modified so they'll fit her. Even though her father is, nominally, the River King and therefore quite wealthy.

    And then Tomoyo mentiosn koi. "...I'm... actually a minnow, you know..." she mumbles a bit. She doesn't seem to really -object- to the colour scheme, though. THere's a brief pause. "Oh! Um. That design looks wonderful so far!"

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Tomoyo looks to Minette once she's got the design jotted down, smiling softly. "Oh, I'm sorry~ I didn't mean any offence, I just wanted to draw inspiration from nature on this design." She bows her head to apologize, just in case Minette is actually offended!

    But suddenly, Yamazaki pops up behind Minette and says, "Well actually, minnow and koi have always had a close relationship." He lifts his index finger and begins to explain. "You see, there was once a massive feral koi who swam in blessed water when it was young. It had been granted wisdom and longevity as a result, and one day escaped into wider waters. Every fisherman worth their salt took a crack at catching him, and they eventually noticed that minnows seemed to have the best results in luring him!"

    Tomoyo is covering her mouth to conceal her bemusement as Yamazaki continues his tall tale. "But the truth was that the koi was not eating the minnows used as bait. Instead, he would ask them of their life story, of stories from different places. In exchange, he would carefully free them from the hooks and let them go! Ever since, koi and minnow have had a special bond."

    Tomoyo interjects here. "Now Yamazaki, I think she's already sold on this design, no need to make it seem any more special~ But if you would like to see more options, I have more ideas in mind!"

Ms. Fortune (422) has posed:
    Minette doesn't really have time to reac to Tomoyo's apology - because Yamazaki is suddenly being very distracting! She just kinda stares as he speaks, her mouth slowly opening, one eyebrow (eye ridge?) raising while the other eye squints in confusion. There's a long pause after Yamazaki stops talking.

    "What." She seems so utterly baffled she doesn't even notice Tomoyo speaking.

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Tomoyo huffs good-naturedly as Minette is utterly stupefied by the story! "Oh for goodness sake Yamazaki~ If you want people to be so enraptured by your storied, write a book!" Since the fishgirl isn't paying attention, she decides to just go ahead and get another design down. Yamazaki just smiles winningly and leaves Minette in her dizzy animation.

    Another silhouette, and another outfit! This one is much more like a swimsuit, with a bikini top and bottom. They're clearly based on Minette's natural coloration, black with orange flower petals on them, arranged to look like scales! They're connected by belts that go down her front and back, also black with gauzy thin material on them in orange, shaped like fins.

    On her legs, she sketches a set of stockings with individual toes, connected to the bikini bottom by garters that match the belts that link the bikini top and bottom. They're black, trending towards orange at the feet, and the toes have webbing in between them to allow for betting swimming.

    Finally, Tomoyo draws a sunhat on the head! It seems to be made of cloth, in the same purple as Minette's pupils. Another close up shows how it has a zipper leading up to a hole for her fin to sit inside. Once she has it on, she can do up the zip to keep it secure!

    Gently tapping on the table to draw Minette's attention, Tomoyo shows her the second design! "Something a little more streamlined, or for tanning in the sun! I wonder, how would your skin change if you tanned? A darker blue, trending towards purple? That would look really pretty~"

Ms. Fortune (422) has posed:
    Minette manages to snap out of it to find Tomoyo already sketching another design! She watches silently, clasping her hands together. Watching Tomoyo work is really quite interesting to the Dagonian! "You must be a prodigy," she murmurs, somewhat to herself. "I've never met a human tailor who'd go out of their way to... account for... stuff." She's not a tailor or an anatomist, okay?

    "I, uh. I kinda go darker blue... Although only my face and stomach and b-" She cuts herself off. "Um. Only some parts tan. The rest of my scales are too thick."

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Tomoyo blushes a little and shakes her head. "Oh, you're sweet to say~ But I'm no prodigy, I just had a lot of help and support throughout my life." She frowns slightly when Minette mentions other humans, and crosses her arms with a huff. "A true tailor would always account for the features of their customers! If they don't, they're not a real tailor, just some hobbyist who somehow made it into a job." She nods assuredly to herself.

    As Minette goes into how her skin tans, Tomoyo listens, clearly fascinated. "Wow that sounds amazing! I would love to see that sometime." Looking at her sketches, she rubs her chin and looks up at Minette. "I could maaaybe do one more, if you like? If you're happy with one of these ones-or both!-you can tell me to stop, and I can get your details and measurements~"

Ms. Fortune (422) has posed:
    Minette mmmhs a bit. "...I don't really make that much at my waitress job, but daddy -did- say he'd help me buy nicer clothes so I can, like... fit in better... He knows how much I wish I -could- fit in with human society and stuff, sooo..."

    She shrugs. "A third one could be nice! If I find out can't afford all of them at once you can keep the designs for later, right?"

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Tomoyo blinks and smiles fondly at Minette, as if she had found a kindred spirit. "Oh, so you work~? I can't quite tell with Dagonians, but you seem a little young too!" She giggles at her own little callback, and works on one more outfit!

    She starts with a white tank top that shows her belly, modelled after a polo shirt, complete with the breast pocket. It even has a purple seashell stitched into it! It comes with a white skirt with a rather high hem, but with a pair of black spats to maintain modesty at all times. The shoes are a pair of sporty running shoes with black ankle socks. Finally, a visor cap is drawn on her forehead, the bands wrapping around the sides of her head, padded so they don't cause discomfort. It has the same purple shell as on the breast pocket in the middle.

    "A nice, clean sporty look~ Don't worry, I'll treat the white cloth so it won't go see-through when wet." She smiles, looking quite content and satisfied with her efforts!

Ms. Fortune (422) has posed:
    "I'm, uh. I'm two years older than you..." So that makes her seventeen. "I just work as a waitress. Nothing huge." She shrugs her shoulders! "Sometimes I help out with the catering at the River King Casino but I'm not allowed anywhere near the gaming floor." Grump.

    "...Ooh. That kinda looks like the Maplecrest High gym uniform... Except in better colours..." She then flushes a bit as Tomoyo mentions it not turning transparent in water. "Y-yeah, that's. That's a good thing."

Tomoyo Daidouji has posed:
    Tomoyo giggles softly, shaking her head. "Nono, it is something! I know some people who just have no drive to make their own money, to do anything productive! Even if it's small, it's a start, so good for you!"

    She blinks and giggles softly when she mentions her catering. "Oh no, that's a good thing! The house always wins you know~ Better to save your money." With the sketches done, she closes the book with a businesslike clap, smiling politely at Minette. "And since this is good experience for me, I'll give you a discount on these~"

    Now, for the last thing! Taking out a roll of measuring tape from her apron, she gestures at the dressing rooms across from the counter. "I just need to take your measurements for these outfits though..." She's still smiling, but there's something eerie about it now!

Ms. Fortune (422) has posed:
    Minette rubs the back of her head. "Really, I've wanted to work in Yu-Wan's restaurant ever since I was little and the Fishbone Gang hung out there all the time... It's not about the money, it's about... being part of the whole thing. You know?"

    Minette blinks at Tomoyo's eerie smile. "..Uh. S-sure? My body shape is kinda weird so..."