Naya wandered around the shops of Sha-Laial frantically. A dance, a festival-styled dance in which nobility, upper-class folk, and commoners could all be in the same room. There was no way she could attend in her usual attire. She’d given almost all her gold to Alvec for his enchanting skills. He’d clarified that he was charging simply for the materials, and she’d already confirmed that to be the case. Just browsing the Academies magic items department sent a chill up her spine with how expensive the enchantments he had already made for her were. She only had about ten platinum pieces left to her name. Equivalent to 100 gold pieces. Of course, she had a bit more than that: a few gold, a pile of silver, and a small mountain of copper pieces, but those were for food. There wasn’t enough coin in reserve to dip into. At the rate it was going, if they didn’t win the tournament, she’d need to look for some work herself to fund her lifestyle. Until the next job came along. She pursed her lips as she stood outside a small shop that looked fancier than she had any right to be in. The thought of going in alone made her uncomfortable. She cursed and wished she’d brought Illaria with her. Illaria had declined. She planned to just wash her clothes and wear them. Stupid Illaria, making even a modest adventuring outfit look fit for a queen. It was a little frustrating to be standing next to someone who just radiated warmth, joy, and personified beauty.
She couldn’t have asked either of the boys to come along. She wouldn’t be fitted for a dress with either of them here. Not like Mavec would even notice; he was such a gearhead. It almost pissed her off that Mavec wouldn’t notice, but he was a little like Bait in some strange way. Echo nudged her hand with his head and pushed her forward. She took a deep breath and opened the door. Echo promptly sat down outside the window doing his best to peer in.
“Hello, how may we help you today?” An older woman said as she glanced down from over a counter.
"I'm looking to buy a dress."
“Ah, and what's the occasion?” She asked.
“There's a festival tonight.”
“I might have to recommend you to a different store, dear. I do have a few party dresses, but most of my wares are designed with a higher-end venues in mind. I'm afraid it will run you too much for too little use.”
“I’m not looking for something cheap,” Naya insisted.
“Alright, what's your budget then?”
“Five platinum that should cover a dress, even a fancy one.” She said.
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“Mind if I see the payment?”
Naya frowned at her and the insinuation. She was carrying weapons worth enough to buy out half the store or more. Maybe a demonstration would do. “Perhaps I should just take my business elsewhere.” She said, pulling out one of her blades and whispering an activation word. The sword slowly shone a ghostly blue light that seemed to float off from it in waves of mist. “My coin is good,” she insisted before returning her sword to its sheath.
“OH, I would never-”
Naya cut her off with a stern look. “Right, the event was for the dance being held tonight at the festival, right? It's a bit late in the season, but I still have some sun dresses. They would be well within your budget, and while not exceptionally fancy, they are very well made, and I can have it tailored to you in just a little bit. Would you be interested in seeing those?” The woman asked, coming around the counter now.
“Sure,” Naya said.
“I’ll be just a moment. I hadn’t gotten around to packing them away, but I moved them to the backroom. It will be another few months before more fall and winter dresses and jackets will be in fashion. We always try to sell for what's coming, not for what is or was.” Naya waited anxiously as the woman walked into the backroom. Several minutes later, she rolled a rack of dresses out onto the sales floor. Glancing at them, the design varied a lot for being sundresses. Several of them showed more skin than Naya was comfortable with. To be honest, she wasn’t sure how comfortable she was with any dresses. When was the last time she had worn one? Probably one of the harvest festivals. Her dress then had been frumpy and homespun. Its fabric had been beige, and it left everything to the imagination.
She wanted something more sleek but more modest than some of the designs she saw in front of her. Completely bare shoulders and midriff might have been attractive, but it felt too exposed with only thin little fabric straps to keep the clothing up. She eventually found one in a harvest orange color that met her expectations. It had a rather sharp cut neck, but it was very tasteful. The hem of the dress looked like it would easily go midway down her thighs or maybe even just above the knees. Beyond that, it had sleeves, so it didn’t look like it would move around or fall off her shoulders easily. It had a strange green floral pattern knitted onto the dress, too. She liked it; it made her think of home a bit.
“Go ahead and try it on.” The woman said, pointing to the changing room.
“Will it fit?” She asked, looking it over.
“Not well, but it's my job to fix that afterward. You simply must try it on to see if you enjoy it.” Naya took the dresses into the fitting room and did as instructed. The fit was far from perfect, but she did love the color on her. The V-neck was a bit intimidating, but she liked it better than she thought she would.
“So how does this work if I decide I want it?”
“Well, first you pay for it, then I take your measurements and hem it for you.” The two women exchanged coins and skills. Naya left with the dress in a box not long after. She wasn’t sure if skill or magic let the woman's hands fly over the fabric so fast, but the hemming was done far quicker than Naya could have imagined.