"Here we go!" Tsuki ran for the exit of Aurelia’s shop before a hand grabbed her collar.

"Nope." Haruka laughed.

"But we know where the guy is!" Tsuki groaned.

Sylvie groaned. "The club doesn't open till Saturday night, idiot."

"But…"

"Can't do anything till then." Sylvie shook her head.

Tsuki frowned. "But we’re so close!"

"Weren’t you the one saying that you weren’t in a hurry?" Sylvie glared.

"…Fine." Tsuki sighed.

"Just relax for a bit, will ya?" Sylvie whined.

"It’s kinda boring around here though." Tsuki slouched a bit.

"Why don't you hang out with Haru and Kaz?"

"Nah." Haruka shook her head.

"Why not?"

"Third wheels are never fun." Haruka laughed.

"Third wheel for what?"

"A date, of course." Haruka blushed.

"What?" Tsuki was caught off guard by Haruka’s strange remark.

"I don’t want you to get in the way. Y'know, if we decide to head to a hotel or something." Haru showed a toothy smile as she mocked her sister.

Tsuki shook her head. "Man, I don’t wanna hear that."

"Jeez, Tsuki, get your mind out of the gutter." Haruka chuckled.

"Why else would anyone go to a hotel on a date?" Tsuki rolled her eyes.

Haruka faked disgust. "My, I don't know what you and that girl do on your dates, but--"

Sylvie interrupted. "I'd hang out with you, buuuuuut I got shit to do, soooooo..."

"Yeah, I get the hint." Tsuki moped.

"Shizuka's always open." Haruka suggested.

"I don't think I should spend too much time at her place. Don't get me wrong, she's great, but I can't just force myself into her life." Tsuki frowned.

"What about Fumiko?" Sylvie suggested.

"Back in the hospital. She’s fine, they just need to do some tests, blood work, that sort of thing."

"Lily?"

"She's busy." Tsuki sighed.

"Any other friends?" Sylvie asked.

Tsukiko put her head down in shame. "Not really."

"Am I not a friend?" Aurelia spoke from across the room.

"Huh?" Tsukiko turned to her.

"If you are not too busy, you could help Claudia and I run some errands and manage the shop. Maybe you would learn something."

"Not like I’ve got anything better to do." Tsuki frowned.

"Oh, then come sit with us!" Aurelia stopped working and waved.

As Tsukiko took the first steps, Haruka and Sylvie both disappeared through a door back to Tokyo. She sat down across from Aurelia, who was sewing a small dress.

"Who's this for?" Tsuki touched the fabric.

"A frequent customer." Aurelia’s gloves very carefully maneuvered the delicate cloth.

"How much do these run for anyways?" Tsuki inspected the high quality fabric.

Aurelia blinked. "I would not know."

"Huh?" Tsuki leaned forward slightly.

"I have everything I could possibly want."

"I’d imagine giving out clothes for free would make you a pretty popular tailor." Tsuki sat up straight.

"I only sell to a select few. There is a price, in a way, but profit does not matter to me." Aurelia’s fingers very carefully danced with the needle.

"What is the price then?"

"I would like to see them happy. I would like my work, be it clothing or fortune-telling, to lead people to a better future." Aurelia’s lips curled.

"Huh… That's deep." Tsuki scratched her head.

"It is a simple pleasure."

Tsukiko adjusted her hat. "You’re really weird."

"I am only a woman." Aurelia smiled.

"What did you want me to help you with anyways?"

"It is just a short delivery job. It is a rather important client of mine."

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"Important?" Tsuki asked.

"Because I enjoy their company. I enjoy seeing them grow. You might understand it better once you meet them." Aurelia seemed warmer than usual.

"So no sewing?"

"No sewing." Aurelia laughed.

"Oh thank god…" Tsukiko sighed. "I don't know how to sew."

Aurelia chuckled. "That much is obvious."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"A young woman like yourself would not know how to sew, especially in current times. I could teach you if you wished."

Tsuki thought about it for a second. "Ehh, I wouldn't wanna get in your way. Maybe someday, but not any time soon."

"Maybe someday you will make your own jackets." Aurelia joked.

"Even if I could, I wouldn’t. If I did all my own clothes, I’d end up missing you." Tsuki watched Aurelia work.

Aurelia's eyes sparkled. "Really?"

"Yeah. Though, it would be nice to take some of the work off of you." Tsukiko admitted.

"If you wanted, you could wear that jacket your whole life." Aurelia seemed proud.

"How?"

"It adjusts to you by itself. It fits well, right?" Aurelia stopped working for a second to look up and admire her other work.

"Weird. These clothes do fit really, really well. They look tight but they aren't restrictive at all." Tsuki tugged at her sleeves.

"The fabric itself is… special. Shizuka's jacket must have surprised you." Aurelia reached across and touched the sleeve.

"Yeah. It looked spotless, but it had been in storage for a while. Not to mention how much she used it before retirement. How'd you manage that?"

"I studied fabrics for centuries." Aurelia grabbed her needle again.

"Centuries?" Tsuki's eyes widened.

Aurelia nodded. "Clothing has always fascinated me. It could mean so much or so little."

"Centuries?" Tsukiko repeated.

"My clothing is a bit outdated, at least by the standards of today." Aurelia started sewing again.

"Are you gonna keep dodging the question?" Tsuki put her arm on the table.

"What kind of modern clothes do you think would suit me?" Aurelia looked up at Tsukiko for a second, then back down to the dress.

"Kind of hard question. I’m not too fashionable. Maybe Fumi could pick something out for you." Tsuki stopped for a moment to think.

"You don’t know what you’d like to see another woman wear?" Aurelia teased her.

"That was mean." Tsuki went red.

"Am I wrong?"

Tsuki looked Aurelia up and down. "I've worn blouses and skirts most of my life, so I wouldn't really know much. If I had to say…" she went silent for a second. "Have you ever worn anything simpler?"

"Possibly a few decades ago."

"How long have you been wearing those clothes?"

"I wear other things from time to time." Aurelia looked down at her black corset and red brooch. "I find myself gravitating toward clothes like these."

"…so, centuries." Tsuki responded blankly.

Aurelia nodded, a gentle smile on her face.

"Hey, if you're comfy, you're comfy. I've been wearing this jacket for days." Tsuki sniffed the jacket to make sure it was clean.

"I hope so." Aurelia nodded, grabbed the dress she was working on, and stood up. "Would you like to join me?"

"Join you in what?"

"Delivering this to my client."

Tsukiko stood up. "Oh, shit, yeah. Definitely!"

Aurelia approached one of the doors and swung it open. "After you."

--

Once again, Tsukiko appeared in front of the fountain. The town looked the same as it ever did. For once, Aurelia seemed to fit in, at least somewhat. She still stood out, but not as much as she would in modern Tokyo.

Aurelia took a deep breath. "The air here is wonderful."

"Yeah. This place's really pretty." Tsuki looked around.

They arrived at noon, and the town was truly beautiful. It retained its picturesque qualities no matter what time of day it was.

"This way." Aurelia started walking away from the door.

"Alright!" Tsuki tagged along.

"Ahh, Claudia would have loved this." Aurelia’s heels made a loud sound with each step on the cobble paved road.

"Where is Claudia anyway?"

"She left on private business."

Tsuki became somewhat curious. "What kind of business could a girl like her have?"

"She deserves privacy as much as you and I do." Aurelia gently reminded her. "She is a multi talented person. Though, you should ask her yourself if you want to find out."

"Hmm." Tsukiko stared down at the pavement.

"Ahh, here we are." Aurelia turned and approached a building before knocking on the door.

The door swung open and the Doctor that Tsukiko had met before answered. "Ahh, hello, Aurelia… and Miss…"

"Himura." Tsuki proudly responded. "Himura Tsukiko."

The girl from before appeared at the Doctor's side. She looked up at Aurelia with a sort of worried face before it faded in a somewhat muted look of joy.

"This is for you." Aurelia kneeled down and held out the dress for her to see.

The girl's new dress was white and blue, with frills around the neck and a bow on the chest. It seemed relatively simple, but it brought joy to the somewhat shy girl.

"For me?" The girl seemed shocked. "It's beautiful…"

"Of course." The blonde replied.

The grey eyed girl hesitated, but she eventually reached out and grabbed it, holding it close.

"Thank you." The girl smiled wide.

The doctor turned to the girl. "Go ahead, try it on."

The girl nodded and hurried off.

"Sorry." The man held out a small bag. "She feels guilty if she sees me pay."

"You know I do not like to take anything from you." Aurelia shook her head a little.

"It’s a gift." The doctor shook his head.

"I cannot reject a gift from a friend." Aurelia grabbed the bag.

"At least that girl looks happy." Tsuki tried to lighten the mood.

"Yeah…" The man brightened slightly.

"Miss Himura and I must get going now." Aurelia raised a hand elegantly.

"Oh, no problem. Thanks." The man smiled.

Aurelia immediately turned and started walking back toward the shop.

"That's it?" Tsuki walked alongside her.

"Did you expect something more important?"

"No… Just… I feel like you'll trick me into doing some busy work if I keep talking." Tsuki struggled to keep up.

"I would not do that to you." Aurelia chuckled. "You have enough work as it is, Tsukiko."

"Ehh, it hasn't been too hard." Tsuki put an arm behind her head.

"Not yet."

"Let's hope I can toughen up."

"Tsukiko?" Aurelia switched subjects. "Do you have any talents?"

"Fighting?" Tsuki shrugged.

"Do you study the arts? Are you a musicienne?" Aurelia spoke in a strange dialect.

"Musicienne?" Tsuki looked up at Aurelia.

"You seem to be someone who enjoys music."

"Hmm… I'm more of a listener, but a little this, little that. I took piano lessons as a kid, but I never really finished them." Tsukiko yawned.

"I could teach you something." Aurelia looked down at Tsuki.

"Like what?"

Aurelia turned to Tsuki as she walked. "What would you like to learn?"

"Hmm… What would you recommend?" Tsukiko spoke indecisively.

Aurelia turned to Tsukiko and looked her up and down. She analyzed nearly every inch of her body before looking away to think.

"What?" Tsuki asked.

Aurelia turned to a house on the side of the path and turned the knob to a black room. "After you, dear."

"Dear?" Tsuki hesitated for a second before stepping in.