The rain was drumming against the window of the workshop, and with the same rhythm, Osiyn tapped his fingers on his desk. The tabletop consisted entirely of a large screen as the whole thing essentially was a big datapad. Currently, it showed his newest design. Or, what would be his newest design had he actually started creating it. For now, it simply showed an empty slate, just as it had been doing for the past six invas he had spent staring at the thing without any progress.

Osiyn sighed. Why did he have to make something so boring? Well, he knew why. Because bills didn't pay themselves. Unfortunately, his motivation was at an all-time low. It was like having the most exquisite meal imaginable: whatever you ate afterward, even if you liked it, would taste dull.

The sound of the door opening behind him made him look up.

"Yes?"

"A message from Lord Venga," his assistant announced. "He's asking about the status of his order."

"Tell him I'm waiting for some materials."

"...I doubt lying to him is wise."

Osiyn shrugged.

"It's done when it's done, pestering me about it won't change that."

He leaned back in his chair and looked up to the ceiling.

"I want to make something for Lady Nadine again! She made me rediscover a spark I didn't know I had lost!"

"That alien noblewoman you told me about? It hasn't even been ten days since you finished the last of her orders. And that's only because you put everything else on hiatus, otherwise, you'd still be working on it."

"You can't expect me to turn for some scraps if there is a feast right in front of me!"

"I... I have no idea what you are talking about."

"That's because you weren't there! You didn't hear what I heard! Apparently, for their kind, clothes are no mere accessories but an integral part of their culture! Everyone wears them down to the poorest of the poor! Oh, the things she told me! They know more different types of clothing than I have clothes created in my life, she talked about novelties even the high nobility of Hohmiy has never heard about! They have countless different design philosophies for numerous occasions!"

He shook his head.

"After our talk, I thought I had found new inspiration, but once I was done with her stuff, I was empty. I need to know more! Human fashion is a treasure trove waiting to be uncovered! If I could incorporate their knowledge into my designs, I could without doubt spark a fashion revolution at least ten times in a row! Oh, what would I give for a chance to talk to her again!"

After his monologue was finished there was silence, the only thing audible being the rain outside. A couple of moments passed before his assistant spoke again.

"Well, then I guess you're in luck. She is requesting your services once more."

He sighed.

"Since you won't get anything else done anyway, I'll clear your schedule so you can go there tomorrow."

That was at least what Osiyn assumed the end of the sentence to be. He himself couldn't hear it because, by the time his assistant had finished talking, he was already out in the rain, making a beeline towards the palace.

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Mhita stood in front of Her Highness's office, the same spot as she usually did. She was half certain that the carpet would by now have footprints at this spot, would it not get scrubbed daily. As she usually did, she raised her hand, knocked, and waited for the command to enter.

A command that didn't come.

She knocked again. Nothing.

That was not what usually happened.

"Your Highness?" she asked carefully, but to no avail.

"Your Highness!" she repeated with more force in her voice.

"Huh? Wha...," a muffled voice came from inside. "Oh, uh, c-come in." That was not what she usually heard.

Carefully opening the door, she found the princess sitting at her desk. All four of her elbows were resting on the table, her face buried in her hands.

"Is everything alright, Your Highness?"

"Y-yes, I'm fine," she groaned. "Um, half an inva until Lady Kykla comes over to continue our talks... I still need to finish the drafts...," she started counting on her fingers. "I also need to go over the proposal from Lord Askiyp, and... uh..."

As she spoke, her upper-right hand started to tremble. After a few moments, she realized it herself, grabbing the wrist with her lower-left hand and forcing her hand onto the desk, and taking deep breaths until the trembling subsided.

"Actually, no, I am not fine. Please go ask the doctor if she has anything against headaches. They've been getting worse the last couple of days."

With a quick bow, the head maid turned on her heel and returned to the corridor. The princess's room, her office, and the doctor's office were all located in close proximity to each other, so it was a short walk. The door, on the other hand, was locked, implying that Doctor Githaiy wasn't there right now. On one hand, Her Highness hadn't explicitly stated the urgency of her request. Then again, Her Highness's well-being always had top priority. As such, Mhita hesitated for not more than a moment before pressing the emergency button. It didn't take long until the person in question came running.

"Doctor," Mhita greeted her while the doctor was still catching her breath. "Her Highness laments severe headaches and requests medication."

"I somewhat expected that to come up sooner or later," she responded as she unlocked the door, needing but a moment to procure the item in question. "This will ease the pain, but not completely suppress it. I would prefer to give her a stronger one, but that would require her to lie down and rest, and I know she won't do that. Tell her to take three drops now and then every four invas. Tell her also that I told her all the stress would lead to problems like this."

Nodding, Mhita made her way back, placing the medicine on the princess's desk.

"The dosage is three drops now and then every four invas," she repeated.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"Thank you."

"I was also asked to remind you that earlier advice from Doctor Githaiy already informed you that the stress you subject yourself to would sooner or later catch up to you."

"I know." she groaned. "Once the negotiations are over, I'll take it a bit easier. AGHH! Did she tell you how long this stuff takes to take effect?"

"Unfortunately, no. But speaking of Lady Kykla, do you expect the talks to take longer than planned? We would have to make the new order at the latest tomorrow."

"I'll tell you tonight."

"Very well."

Leaving the office once more, she made her way to the entrance hall, so she could welcome Lady Kykla who would arrive soon. Apparently, she had done so even sooner than expected, because she could hear the doorbell before she even reached her destination. Odd, that was far too early. But as she opened the door, rather than the Tystrie ambassador, a Vanaery, out of breath and drenched in rainwater, looked at her.

"...yes?" she asked, doing her best to mask her emotions and stay professional.

"You... mes... messaged me... regarding... a new order... from Lady Nadine?" he panted.

"We did," she affirmed. "We asked you to message us back and propose a date."

"Exactly."

"Yet you are here."

"I propose now as a date."

"So it would seem. Unfortunately, I must inform you that... actually, wait a moment."

She took out her datapad and informed another servant, Onrol, that it would be his job to welcome the ambassador today.

"Alright. If you follow the wall leftward, you'll reach a servants' entrance. I will await you there," she instructed him and closed the door.

----------------------------------------

As fast as he could through his exhaustion, Osiyn ran along the left wall until he reached a small door, which promptly opened.

"Please come in. I apologize for the inconvenience, but we are expecting guests so getting water all over the entrance hall was out of the question."

"It's fine," he panted. Now that he was out of the rain, he realized that his body felt fairly hot. Without the rain cooling him down, or if the palace had been not right around the corner, his run might have actually overheated his body and he would've needed a doctor. Maybe he had gotten a bit too enthusiastic. Well, it didn't matter, he was here now.

"Lady Nadine is free at the moment, right?" he asked while drying himself off with a towel given to him.

"She should be. Although she might be in the process of following her daily training regiment, her routine in that regard is a bit irregular," she explained, signing him to follow her.

"Training?"

"Lady Nadine's homeworld has much stronger gravity than ours. According to her, she needs to exercise a lot, or her muscles will deteriorate."

"Oh, so she is a doctor?"

"No, she simply knows a lot."

Not elaborating any further, the maid stopped and knocked at the door in front of her.

"Yes?" a soft, muffled voice came from inside. A voice Osiyn knew he would never forget in his life.

"The dressmaker is here, Milady."

"Already? Did I forget the appointment?"

"No, he is simply very motivated."

"Okay, one sec!"

A multitude of shuffling noises was heard from the other side of the door. Quite a bit of time passed during which the maid didn't move the slightest bit. Osiyn wasn't as disciplined and had he not been so incredibly exhausted, he would've likely had trouble standing still in his excitement. Finally, the call to come in followed. The maid opened the door, and he was at long last able to meet the source of his inspiration again. With steps as fast as his tired body allowed, he immediately walked into the room.

"Careful, there is..."

About halfway to her, he got stopped dead in his tracks with a donk!.

"... a glass plate," the maid finished her warning.

"Noted," he grunted as he stood up again. Two of his hands hurt a little, but otherwise, he seemed unharmed. Thankfully, he hadn't hit the glass with his head. "May I ask why?"

"Precaution," the soft voice of the alien noblewoman answered, her voice audible through some holes in the glass he now noticed. "I apologize, but I don't want to take any risks. This is actually part of the reason why I asked you to come here. First, I need a pair of gloves."

A moment of silence followed.

"Gloves?" he asked, feeling his motivation slip away.

"Yes, is that a problem?"

"N-no, of course not, Milady! I was just hoping for something... well, I'm not one to usually make mere protective gear. Fashion, that is my craft!"

The alien tilted her head.

"While these particular ones are indeed supposed to be protective in nature, who says gloves can't be fashionable?"

He immediately perked up.

"They can?"

"Sure. Sleeve gloves, for example, are often paired with sleeveless dresses. There are also those weird half-gloves, though I admit, I was never really into those."

"... please do go on then, Milady! What exactly do you need?"

He had to learn more about this. Even if the ones she needed were protective gloves, maybe he could combine them with these fashion gloves.

"My body emits a substance called sweat, that... shouldn't come into contact with a Vanaery's shell. Unfortunately, if I wear something that's just completely sealed, I will sweat like crazy in it, which kinda defeats the point. They need to stop the sweat, but let air through so the heat can escape."

"Is that doable?" Osiyn was no scientist, he only knew about normal fabrics.

"If that annoying shoe ad that refused to leave my head is to be believed, yes. I'd prefer to eventually have an entire suit, but for the sake of speed, gloves will suffice for now."

He nodded.

"I see. But please tell me more about the suit you were imagining."

"Oh, uh, well, in essence, just like the gloves, but full body. Maybe leave out the feet, I doubt anyone will touch those, and I can lose a lot of excess heat through those. As long as it does that, I'm good."

Osiyn shook his head.

"No, we can't have that, Milady! Protection's all well and good, but you still need to be presentable! Depending on how the material works, maybe patterns can be integrated during the crafting... then again, a one-piece won't look good like that... maybe it's for the best to make it neutral, either completely black or white and then combine it with accessories. Or, if it's a bit more tight-fitting, you could wear normal clothes over it and..."

"I'm sure you'll think of something," she interrupted his train of thought.

"Right. I'll have to make some calls regarding the material, but it will be done! Oh, and one more thing..."

He stepped closer to the glass.

"I would be willing to give you a discount. But in return, you must tell me everything there is about your home world's fashion."

The alien thought for a moment.

"Sure, I don't mind. You have a number I could call or something?"

"We can't do it now?" Osiyn asked slightly disheartened.

"Well, you wanted to hear everything right? I could spend an entire day just talking about hats. Don't get me started on shoes..."

Hats? Was there any protective gear they hadn't turned into fashion? If there was so much to say just about those, how much could she tell him about clothes for the actual body?

"I... I promise," he started, only now realizing that he was pressing his body against the glass, "I will fulfill all future orders with priority and will never ask for any money. But please... I need to hear everything!"

----------------------------------------

The talks continued, and they continued to be fruitless. Silgvani had tried to nudge the discussions toward the topic she was actually interested in a few times now, but so far to no avail. She couldn't be too obvious about it, so she needed to be patient. Something her headaches didn't help her with.

She could also feel herself getting increasingly agitated, and the hammering pain in her head made it hard to stay professional.

Come on, I always stayed calm in these situations! she told herself.

"... though I must say, the rain is slightly annoying."

You went from the lodging directly to the shuttle and from there to the palace, you couldn't have gotten more than a few drops on you.

"I hope it won't stay like this."

"I'm afraid it will. We are reaching the rainy season. The rain will start to fall more and more often, and in about thirty days, the rain won't stop at all for another fifty days."

"Well, then let's hope we are finished by then."

Yes, we wouldn't want you to be forced to stay in a house specifically built for your people and made to accommodate any possible need any longer than necessary.

"But in general, that is something that needs to be addressed, don't you think so?"

You live on a planet where a fraction of the landmass is habitable, you know as well as I do that the rain doesn't bother you in the slightest.

"Maybe you should adapt the structure of your cities to better address such problems."

"Maybe you shouldn't act as if irrelevant banalities are problems, and rather than seek excuses to act as if you got insulted over nothing, stop being so secretive as to why you are suddenly hogging all your ore for yourself! Then we wouldn't need to go through any of this!"

No response followed. The silence hung in the air as slowly, realization dawned upon the princess.

... wait, did I just say that out loud?

"L-lady Kykla, I...," she started in a desperate attempt to salvage the situation.

"Your Highness," the ambassador interrupted her, "you don't seem to be fully yourself today. Maybe you should rest, and we continue tomorrow."

Without waiting for an answer she stood up and left, leaving a disheartened princess behind.

How could I make a faux pas like that?! she scolded herself. I keep foreign politics away from my parents to prevent exactly things like that! How could I allow this to happen? Oh, First Ones, my head is killing me...