Excerpt from History of Fashion in Hollowcrest by unknown author
Fashion in Hollowcrest has always been a somewhat vexing and complicated subject for the city’s tailors. Due to the erratic nature of two of the sector lords, Isha the Graceful and Aizamee the Glamorous, trends tend to change very quickly and are not entirely in tune with the seasons. And, of course, these can change at any moment.
Many followers of fashion will tend to follow one of the two. Another approach is to follow trends within a race. So elf fashion may be popular with elves but also with other species that admire their style.
As a tailor, there’s the constant need to make a piece of clothing for a client and then a short time later, either remake it or create something entirely different in a short time as these trends change. With the long-lived nature of these sector lords, this doesn’t seem to be something that will change any time soon.
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Jake rolled onto his side and was suddenly aware that someone was in his room. It was that horrible feeling that something was in your sleeping space that you weren’t expecting, easily one of the most unsettling feelings you can get. Especially when you had been in a seriously deep sleep only moments before.
He didn’t move or open his eyes but instead listened very carefully. He could hear breathing in the room and while he was no expert, it seemed to be faster than he would normally expect from most people. Someone who had been running, maybe. Or someone who was frightened.
For a moment, he really didn’t know what to do. He was no fighter to jump out of bed and tackle whoever was in his room. All of his alchemy supplies were downstairs and his essence was still recovering from the yesterday.
“Jake?” a croaking voice said uncertainly.
That made up his mind. He opened his eyes and found himself facing Drak, who was leaning against the wall beside the bedroom door. He was holding his side where he had been injured by the hydra. There was blood on his face and hands, one eye looked swollen and his shirt was ripped.
“Drak, what happened?” Jake said, pushing himself up. “You look like hell!”
“I went to the drop-off with Borass,” his partner wheezed.
“And?”
“Well, there were a few issues,” Drak said, wincing as he tried to stand up but failed, leaning back against the wall.
“What kind of issues?” Jake asked, a feeling of dread filling the pit of his stomach. Had Borass realised that the potion wasn’t the exact one he had ordered?
Abruptly, Drak broke out into a massive grin and stood up effortlessly. The blood on his skin and swollen eye vanished and he removed his hand from the wound. “I’m kidding with you. It all went perfectly.”
Jake took a moment to think about what Drak was saying. Then he picked up the book from the bedside table and threw it at his friend. It hit him in the stomach, a satisfying grunt coming from him as it knocked the air out of him for a second.
“I should do a lot worse to you!” Jake shouted, shaking his head.
Drak was still grinning. “Come on, that was priceless. Your face, you were terrified!”
“Sure I was. We don’t need that homicidal lunatic to come after us for anything. We’ve just nearly killed ourselves this week to make sure he didn’t. So the idea it all went wrong was pretty damn scary!” Jake replied crossly. But he helplessly found himself smiling by the end of his rant.
Drak started laughing and despite himself, Jake joined in.
“We are clear of Borass,” Drak replied when their laughter subsided. “He was happy with the potion and even paid us. So at least we can pay Silt and not have another homicidal lunatic after us for something.”
Jake nodded. “That’s perfect. Now we can get on with life and not have to deal with all of this stuff any longer.”
“Exactly,” Drak agreed. “Just normal alchemist stuff for us from now on.”
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The final job on their list to complete the whole Borass business was to take the money to Silt, so the pair decided to visit Asher’s bar in the hope that she would be there.
And their guess paid off because when they entered the bar, she was sitting on the customer side while Asher was behind the bar. Both stopped and turned when they entered, Asher giving a wave for them to approach.
“Drak! Jake! Lovely to see you both again so soon!” Asher said, tipping his invisible hat in their direction. “How can I help you both?”
Jake placed a coin pouch on the bar beside Silt. “Actually, we came to settle up with Silt. As promised.”
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She appeared slightly surprised and took the pouch, sliding it into an inner pocket without looking inside. “I’m impressed. I really thought I’d have to rob you guys to get the money from you.”
“We pay our debts,” Drak said firmly.
“And thanks again for everything you did to help us,” Jake added.
She nodded and stood. “I’m going home for a while, I’ll see you later, Asher. Guys, catch you around,” she added and left.
Jake prepared to leave as well, but Asher had other ideas. “Want a drink on the house, gentlemen?” he asked.
Jake glanced at Drak, who shrugged. He took the stool that Silt had just emptied and Drak took the one next to him. Asher poured some golden liquid into three glasses and slid two across to the pair. He saluted them, which they returned and all three drank the drinks straight back. The liquid had a pleasant heat to it and a slightly spicy aftertaste that was quite delicious.
“So there’s something I wanted to ask you,” Asher said, placing his glass on the bar. “The gala that I gave you both invites for is coming around quickly. Do you both have suitable attire for the event?”
Jake glanced at Drak again, knowing that he didn't really have anything that he thought would be suitable for an event of the type he thought it was. “Not really.”
“Me neither,” Drak replied. “I mean, I have great clothes but nothing quite formal enough for an event like this.”
“That’s okay, you are both young gentlemen starting out in this world. Buying quality clothing is important, but it is understandable you might not have come to the point of purchasing them yet. I’d love to introduce you to my tailor to help,” he added.
“That sounds great!” Drak agreed enthusiastically. He did love Asher’s sense of style.
“Well, I suppose we could take a look,” Jake said a little more cautiously, feeling that Asher’s taste in clothing could be a little more expensive than what he was used to paying. Or what they could possibly afford.
“Come on then, no time like the present!” Asher announced.
Asher led them out into the bustling street. Jake hoped they weren’t going too far as it was going to take a long time with so many people on the street. The elf set off in the opposite direction to their own store and seemed to have a handy knack for finding the gaps in the crowds, which almost moved away as he passed through.
Jake was also fascinated to watch Asher as they walked. At one point, he took an apple from a seller’s hand and replaced it with a coin, but the man seemed totally oblivious to the swap. He seemed to weave through the crowd, making little purchases, handing things to people and almost entirely without their knowledge.
After a short walk, they arrived at the store. It read Goldleaf Tailor above the door, making Jake think that the owner was a relative of Asher’s. But the reality was a little different.
Once inside the store, Asher went behind the counter, took off his waistcoat and put on a blue one. He took off his invisible hat and put another in its place. Finally, he picked up a tape measure and notepad.
“Okay then, my friends, take a look around and tell me what catches your eye then I’ll give you my professional opinion on whether it suits you and the occasion,” Asher said.
“You’re a tailor?” Drak said, surprised.
“I’m many things,” Asher replied. “Bar owner and tailor are just the ones you’ve encountered so far.”
Jake oddly wasn’t as surprised as he could have been and simply started looking around the store. There were lots of very stylish clothes, but he felt they were all outside of their price range.
Drak selected a few items and had a chat with Asher about them. Discussions faded out when it came to the cost of the outfits, with one amounting to hundreds of gold.
“I sense a problem, but I think I have a solution,” Asher said after a while.
“We just can’t afford most of this stuff,” Jake admitted.
Asher held up one finger and vanished into the back office. He emerged a short time later with a somewhat dusty clothing case. He put it on the counter and opened it. Inside it was a range of different clothing items.
“These are old stock,” Asher said as if he was somehow swearing at them. “One doesn’t normally recommend wearing out-of-season clothes, but when times are tough, it is an acceptable step to take. Of course, getting in-season clothes as soon as possible should be a priority going forward.”
“Of course,” Drak agreed, lifting up a shirt and examining it.
Jake picked up a pair of trousers and a matching jacket that looked like something he would wear and not feel like a complete fraud while doing it. “I like this.”
“Good choice for out-of-season items,” Asher replied. “Very classic and timeless.”
Drak picked a couple of items that Asher pulled faces at before setting on a green three-piece suit and slightly elaborate white shirt.
“And how much does all of this cost?” Jake asked.
“Oh, it doesn’t cost anything. It is out of season stock. I can’t sell it to proper customers. It would simply end up in the rag pile. So you might as well make use of it. If anyone asks, just say you bought it from the Golfleaf last year, but ill health meant you never used it until now,” he added.
Jake gave a little laugh at the elf’s fashion snobbery. “That sounds fair enough.”
Asher took the items they had chosen and carefully folded them, wrapping them in tissue paper and putting them into brown paper bags. He then instructed them on what to do with the clothes when they got home to keep them in top condition and how to prepare them on the day of the gala so they looked at smart as possible.
The pair thanked him, receiving a tip of his different invisible hat in response and left the store.
As they rejoined the crowds, Jake noticed how much harder it was to walk back through the bustling streets than it had been when they were with Asher. Finally, they got through the busiest part of the street and to the quieter area nearer their store.
“Do you think Asher is up to something?” Jake asked Drak, voicing his thoughts as they walked.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, inviting us to this gala, giving us free clothes, it just feels like he has a plan and we are somehow involved in it,” Jake said.
Drak frowned. “Nah, he’s just a guy with a coup of businesses who likes to be involved with other business owners. He might send us an odd customer or something, but I doubt there’s anything else going on. After all, we are just average alchemists at the moment and there are loads of them in the city.”
“True,” Jake agreed, feeling a little silly. “I guess the last few days have made me a little paranoid. Like you say, Asher is just a guy with a couple of business ventures and an eye for making connections.”
“Exactly,” Drak said confidently.