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CH 48.5

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“It’s winter! She needs something blue or white,” the seamstress argued.

“Bring whatever you have in mind out then,” I said gently as I studied the fidgeting woman in front of me.

This small clothes shop in Ruvindale was the same one that Lomi and I had used earlier. There were other shops here in Ruvindale for clothes, but not only did this place have the type of dresses I wanted it was also a place I wanted to support. The proprietor, the older woman, had been nice to Lomi so I wanted to buy from her and not anyone else.

The shopkeeper left the room; excitedly hurrying away to procure the dresses she had in mind for Renn.

“Vim…?” Renn worriedly questioned what we were doing as I glanced to a nearby gown. It was on a makeshift mannequin and looked like it had been made for a larger woman. Not just tall, but wide shouldered. Maybe not a woman at all. “Ever get tailored before?” I asked her.

“No. Uh… what are we going to do about um…?” Renn went quiet as she hurriedly glanced to the other room, where the woman had gone.

“She’ll leave when you get changed. Plus you’ll be wearing this,” I said as I stepped forward to hand her the new hat. The one she’d wear with whatever dress she’d be given. I had picked it up out in the main shop area as Renn had been brought back here by the shopkeeper.

It was a noblewoman’s hat. A large brimmed fluffy thing of a blue shade. She studied it with an odd look, which told me she didn’t like it at all.

Which was odd. It was actually rather fancy and cute. You’d think she’d like it.

Renn reached out for it and quickly went to swapping her bonnet with the new hat. It slid easily onto her head, and was rounded on top enough to comfortably hide her ears too.

“Are you sure, Vim?” Renn asked softly once the hat was settled. It actually fit her… but she looked very uncomfortable.

I nodded. I had already kind of explained to her my plan. To have her pretend to be a noble, as to request an audience with the knights who had taken the paintings. As to track them down and procure them, or destroy them, if able.

Renn had readily agreed to help me and had even seemed excited over the idea, but was now having second thoughts. Ever since she had seen the dresses in this shop, particularly the gowns in the window on display, she had suddenly become more demure and unsure of herself. As if…

Studying the woman in front of me, I wondered if maybe she didn’t realize how pretty she actually was. It was hard to think it was possible, since she was stunning, but… well…

Our kind were odd sometimes. And not every woman realized their own attractiveness. And lately this poor woman had been rather beaten down. Her life was in turmoil, and stressful, so…

“How about a southern style?” the shopkeeper entered the room again, carrying a long slit-dress. One with dark blue hues.

Southern style…? Oh right. To her, here, it likely was. That was the type of dress seen often in Telmik and those surrounding nations. South of here, sure, but not southern. Not to me.

Renn went stiff at the sight of it and I smiled. “Let’s try.” It looked good enough, honestly. She didn’t need to dress up to the point of something exotic or overbearing… she just needed to play a part.

That meant looking wealthy. She needed to wear clothes, casually, that most women couldn’t afford to even look at.

After the dress I planned to take her to an inn and clean up her hair a little. To put it into a proper style of a noblewoman. At least of this region.

Stepping over I took the dress from the woman who studied me oddly.

“A moment, please,” I asked of her.

Although I could tell the woman was bothered and not used to a man telling her to leave during a moment like this, she knew better than to voice her worries. She simply smiled and nodded and left the small changing room, and closed the door behind her.

“Vim…” Renn groaned at me as I lifted the dress and studied it.

Yes. This would do. I liked the slit along the legs. It was definitely not a style seen commonly here. This northern region was more conservative. More reserved. Her wearing this would only further enforce the idea she was some noble daughter from a distant land.

“Come on then,” I said as I took the dress to her.

“I don’t even know how to put this on,” she mumbled as she went to undress.

“You put it on over you and then I’ll tie the straps in the back,” I said. They didn’t have zippers in this era, not yet anyway, so they used buttons and straps instead.

Renn grumbled a little as she took off her shirt and pants. Her jacket and over shirt were already off, over on a chair nearby. Her tail squirmed as she studied the dress, standing there in front of me half-naked. She had a thin white blouse like shirt, and seemingly nothing else beneath it. Did she not wear underwear…?

“I’ll look ridiculous in this Vim,” she said softly as she took it from me and went to putting it on.

I smiled at the woman who quickly squirmed through the dress, and got it on over her. Thanks to the undershirt it was a little ruffled, but it was fine. It would need fitting anyway based off the look of it. Her waist was actually thinner than it had seemed.

Stolen novel; please report.

Stepping closer, I grabbed Renn by the shoulder gently and spun her as to see her back. I went to tying the little straps, as to fasten the dress. As I did I noticed the way her tail squirmed beneath the silk, and was quite obvious underneath it.

I’ll need to get a set of thin shorts, akin to spats. To hide her tail. Something to help hide it while not being bulky or ruin the look of the dress itself.

Plus she did need underwear. Surely she wore such things… usually, right? Maybe in all the confusion and stress she had… well…

I hesitated as I realized something horrible.

This girl only had a single set of clothes.

“It’s a little loose,” Renn said gently as I finished tying the little straps, and I decided to be kinder to her after this. I’ll make sure to get her some clothes. Some proper ones.

Stepping back I nodded. “It looks good on you,” I told her.

She perked up, her tail going so stiff it made the dress shift and go taught around her thighs. “D-does it…?” she asked worriedly as she looked down at herself.

She did in fact look a little ridiculous. It was clear she wasn’t used to such tight clothing on her. She was fidgeting and squirming as if itchy and likely was. And not just because of the undershirt beneath the silk.

It was too bad this place didn’t have mirrors. Some nations did, but up here in the north they were something rare and luxurious. If she’s never worn something like this before she may have enjoyed seeing what she herself looked like in it.

Seeing her like this was odd. She typically dressed like a poor human. One from the mountains… so to see her suddenly like all the other civilized ladies was… well…

I didn’t like it. For some reason.

Not that I liked her usual poor appearance, at all, but… well…

She was more approachable like that. This Renn was someone I didn’t belong next to. She was too pretty now.

“Vim?” Renn asked worriedly as she stopped studying herself and instead looked at me.

“With a little work do you think it’ll be okay? Does it feel too tight or loose anywhere?” I asked, doing my best to not think about what I’d just pondered.

“Hm… I think if I took off the undershirt it might be okay. But then I’ll feel naked… you can’t see through it right?” she asked worriedly.

“No. It’s a deep color, and thicker than that. No one will see your private bits,” I said.

“Private bits…” she mumbled, repeating what I’d said.

“We’ll get you proper shoes… and gloves. It matches the hat too,” I said.

Renn smiled softly and then glanced down at herself. “I uh… hm…” she reached up and cupped her breasts, and I couldn’t help but smirk at her.

Either she didn’t see me as a man at all, or had more non-human tendencies than I thought. It was such a weird thing. She messed with her breasts beneath the dress, as if to figure out if she’d be comfortable with it or not.

Why was she so human and emotional, able to weep herself to sleep, yet didn’t think twice about doing something like that in front of me? Our people were so strange sometimes.

Turning away from the woman who was checking her body for compatibility with her new attire, I went to open the door a little. The shopkeeper was a small distance away, at a nearby table messing with clothes.

“Could you get her some larger but thin undergarments? And matching silk gloves,” I asked her.

“She likes it? Good! One moment,” the woman happily nodded as she hurried away.

She seemed to enjoy dressing people up. Or maybe she was just happy to have good business. A fancy clothes shop like this probably didn’t too bad, but it was likely similar to the Sleepy Artist. They did business, but sparingly and not all the time. So they relied on the spur of the moment purchases as much as the constant repeat customers.

“Vim.”

I turned around and found Renn frowning at me with a sad expression.

“What…?” I asked. Nothing looked…

Ah. The dress. It was a tad too long now that I looked. The end of the dress had a few inches on the floor, near her feet. It’d drag and she’d trip if it didn’t get fixed.

“We’ll fix that. It’s okay,” I said.

“Okay…” she mumbled softly.

I smirked at her. “Cats get all lethargic when you dress them up too. Are you the same?” I asked her, teasing her a little.

“I uh… don’t know what that means,” she said softly.

Oh right. Stupid lack of education during this era. “They go all stiff and get stressed, sometimes not moving at all. Do you feel that uncomfortable in silk, Renn? Most women love it,” I said.

“Wait… this is silk! Is that what this is? Oh my…” Renn immediately perked up and smiled down at herself, suddenly excited.

Wait… I hesitated as I realized why she had reacted that way.

I watched the woman happily touch the dress all over, and then she nodded… as if she confirmed it really was silk indeed.

She’s never had silk before…? Ever?

Yes this world had become a tad more primitive than before, thanks to the wars, but… It hadn’t become that bad. Even if Renn had been poor all this time, if she’d spent any time with humans at all, she should have encountered silk clothing at least a few times in her long life. Several of the surrounding nations had entire portions of their economy reliant of the silk and spice trade… it wasn’t like the stuff was really that rare.

Expensive, sure, but not some kind of priceless treasure.

“It does feel nice…” she mumbled softly, and I had no choice but to accept the fact that the woman was pitiable.

Not so much because she’s never owned silk before… it wasn’t like that fact meant her life had been sad or something, but it meant other things.

It meant she had spent most of her life in hiding, alone, and intentionally distant from the humans. She had claimed she had spent many years with humans, and had even lived in secret in a few human towns throughout the years… but…

But those years must have been lonely. With her living at the edge of society, as to keep herself safe.

Such a thing wouldn’t have been that big a deal… if she had been a normal non-human, who hated or feared humans. Instead she seemed to enjoy them.

“I’ve brought some different styles of undergarments sir,” the shopkeeper said as she returned. She carried a large bundle of clothes, many dozens of pieces.

I nodded and went to finish dressing up the cat.

She had an important task… but I now also simply wanted her to enjoy the moment.

Depending on how everything went, and how her next few choices in life went, this could be the last and only moment she ever got to experience something like this.

So there was no harm in letting her enjoy it a little, for a moment. A tiny kindness, amidst so many sorrows.