"Good day." I knocked on the door politely before letting Cecily enter, "We're looking for Nat?"
"You're talkin' to her." The somewhat tomboyish lady with short cyan hair replied, "And you folks are?"
"Ah, we're the Grimhearts." I got a bit caught off guard by her personality, "King Adam recommended us your services, I believe he told you already."
"Oh come on, what's got ya' so stiff, buck?" She swooped in to hit me on the back a few times, as if to remove all my tension, "Yer' a man, ain't cha'?! Show some enthusiasm!"
"Y-Yes, ma'am!" I shouted back.
"I'm terribly sorry, but I believe we came here to get our wedding attire fitted, not a crash course in being an overly touchy tomboy." Cecily hissed back at her with a scary expression.
"Quit yer' whinin', lady. Ya' jus' got here, so why don't cha' bless this pretty little tailor with a smile?" Nat teased a bit before skipping back a few steps, "Oh, don't feel like grinnin'? Damn, yain't no fun... So! Adam told me you folks wanted somethin' classy, so I went ahead and got some different designs prepared for y'all."
"Lead the way, then." I nodded.
She's... peculiar, just like Adam described her. I've never seen a person this touchy-feely from the get-go, especially in girls. The closest person that comes to mind is Aaron, though it took quite a while before we could get used to being like that. I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but the moment I saw how overly-familiar she was with strangers, I immediately lost all hope. I bet she just took some random spare dresses from her lineup and thinks she can trick us into going with whatever. That's the kind of warning signs she gives off.
"Ayo, help me out here, slimjim!" She called me over to help her pull out the closet on the rails, "Whatcha' gawkin' at for? Y'know, my type is a real go-getter, so if you're really gunnin' for my bod, I'd appreciate some help."
"That just makes me even less motivated to help out." I sighed.
"Wimp." She gave me a nasty side-Eye before yanking the entire closet all the way out by herself, the beautiful display of dressed and tuxedos of all colors practically blinding Cecily and I from the shock, "Seriously, all guys are just so weak these days. Adam woulda' tore the entire wall off if I asked him."
"T-This is...!" Cecily's Eyes glimmered as a bright smile appeared on her face, "It's incredible! So many colors, and the designs are so fashionable!"
"Hmph, was there ever any doubt?" Nat shrugged with a smug look on her face, her pride showing in full.
"Yeah." I gave an immediate reply.
"We really had no hopes for this being good." Cecily briefly paused her grinning to keep it real before resuming just like that."
"Huh!? You folks messin' with me!?" Nat got all offended, "A master tailor like me, recognized by even the king of this whole damn continent (though he did give me a giant ass loan to start this here business on account of us being childhood friends...). You sayin' you thought I'd give ya' crap!?"
"Well, your personality ain't all that professional." I accidentally started mimicking her speech patterns, "Oops, your overly-casual way of speaking is starting to rub off on me."
"Jus' shut it, shrimpdimp, and pick a suit to wear." She hurried me into the closet, "If yain't gonna respec' me, then I ain't gonna waste my precious time tendin' to ya'."
"Ow, fine. Don't push me!" I yelled back after getting shoved into the closet.
The entire contraption of the moving closet was surprising to see in general, but actually being inside one is quite intriguing. You see, it's really just a giant clothes rack, but it's set up in a circular shape to simultaneously serve as a changing room on top of that. The previously displayed tuxedos and dresses serve as curtains, which let's me just pick whichever suit I think looks nice, take it off the rack and put it on, all without even taking a single step.
"Geez, what's takin' ya' so long, lack-a-sack?" Nat told me to hurry it up from outside, "Even the girls don't take this long, y'know?"
"Don't rush him, this is an important choice to make!" Cecily chewed her out, "Don't worry about her, Lune. Take as much time as you need to pick the perfect outfit."
"Y-Yeah!" I shouted back, "Just a minute."
But damn, paradoxically enough, the more clothes I get to pick and choose from, the harder it is for me to grab only one. In truth, I like this one's cuffs, but the Gray color just feels kind of boring. I don't feel like going for the standard black either, but every other color just feels wrong as well. If only this bordeaux one came with the dark Green one's collar, and the Red one's buttons... Hey, hold on a minute, I'm at a tailor's, so why couldn't it?"
"Hey, can you come in here for a sec?" I poked my head out.
"Sorry bud, despite what you may think, I ain't that sorta' woman." Nat folded her arms as Cecily glared at me over the misunderstanding.
"I meant help me with picking the damned outfit, moron." I rolled my Eyes before pushing the clothes curtains aside, "And I'm still in my clothes, geez."
"Fine, whatcha' need?" She begrudgingly entered the closet, with Cecily following close behind.
"I-I'll come in too!" She insisted.
"No, it's gonna be way too cramped with all three of us inside." I had her step away, "Sorry, could you just wait a minute while I get the details for the tux right?"
"S-Sure..." She bit her tongue, hiding her anxiety and frustration as she gave a weak thumbs up, "Just don't take too long..."
"Yer' missy's gettin' jealous." Nat commented, "So, what's the deal?"
"I'd like a mix of all of these." I took them out to show them to her, Materializing a clipboard and pen to draw the rough sketch of the design, "I want this one's cuffs, this one's color, oh, but get this one's colors as the highlights, and then..."
"Hey, that won't work." She corrected my drawing, "The colors don't match at all, fool. Instead, goin' for this one'd be way cooler."
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"Oh, I see!" I smiled, "Yeah, cool is exactly what I'm going for! How could you tell?"
"Psh, a master like me?" She flipped my pen in her hand as she gave a smug reply, "Yeah, I could tell just from takin' one look at your choices that you're that type a' fella."
H-Hold on, when'd she take my pen? I don't remember her reaching out to take it from my hands directly... Come to think of it, she didn't at all seem surprised that I cast Materialize in front of her...
"Hm? Oh, ya' finally noticed?" Her Eyes glew Blue as she suddenly Materialized my expensive engagement ring from the palm of her hands, "Yain't the only Gifted One, I'm afraid."
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"So you're an Iro Wielder too?" I asked, still stunned from the surprise.
"Iro Wielder? Nah, that's whatcha' call it?" She grimaced, "My name's way cooler. Calling us Gifted Ones just rolls off the tongue better, too."
"Well who gifted it to us?" I reasoned, "I figured out how to use my Iro all by myself, so it's not really a gift. It's me Wielding my Iro, hence - Iro Wielder."
"It ain't Iros, sucka. The Gods gave us these powers." She steadfastly denied my years of studying the matter, "See, the scriptures say the Gods made us in their image, yeah? And Gods can obviously create whatever they want, seeing as they created the world n' all. Hence, they Gifted us with the power to create as well. But only certain special individuals, I think."
"Uhh, no? It's the Iro Ability of a Blue Iro." I frowned, "In any case, that'd mean that Materialize is the only Iro Ability that could exist in the world, so how do you explain this?"
Snapping my fingers just for added dramatic effect, I had Gone Solipsistic to slow down time and showcase my first of many Iro Abilities. Seeing her reaction go from smug to bewildered was funny, especially after I ran circles around her to prove just how fast a person in slowed down time is, relatively speaking. After that, I stopped behind her before snapping my fingers again, resuming time with a slight pant.
"Haah, haah, ack, haven't done that in a while..." I heaved heavy sighs, "Then there's also the Green Iro's ability to Heal, or the Red Iro's ability to create fiery sparks, or even...!"
"An angel!" She couldn't believe her Eyes as she pointed at me, "I thought I was the Giften One, but you got so many more powers! Ain't no other thang about it, ya' gotta be a messenger sent by the Gods!"
"Uhhh, what?" I furrowed my brows, "Listen, can you just make my suit as per my request?"
"Anything for the messenger!" She gave a hearty thumbs up, giving me a one armed hug from the side as she ushered me out of the closet, "Then, onto the missus!"
"Thank God, you guys are finally done." Cecily's expression spelled danger for me if I let Nat keep clinging to me any longer, "I sure hope you picked a good one, dear..."
"Yeah, we talked it out perfectly." I smiled back as I carefully removed Nat's hand from my shoulder, "She says she doesn't mind custom outfits, so feel free to ask her for any tweaks in case you got something unique in mind."
"Yeah, I think I just might..." Cecily glared over at Nat before grabbing her wrist, "Then, you're coming with me."
"Ah geez, botha' y'all are real pieces of work, y'know?" Nat sighed, "Fine, whatcha' need...?"
In truth, I wanted to go inside with them just to make sure Cecily doesn't kill her in there, but I already know full well what she'll tell me if I try that. "It'll be too cramped, isn't that what you said~?" Yeah, she'd definitely pick at my hypocrisy in that scenario, so I'll patiently wait for the end results outside. Y'know, like a gentleman. That being said, they sure are taking their time in there... Oh God, what if Cecily really did succumb to jealousy, and in her fit of rage killed Nat, only to now desperately try and hide her body somewhere believable in the closet...?
"Uhh, you guys alright in there?" I asked as the closet's curtains swung open, "A-Ack, I-If it's you, Cecily, I'll find it in my heart to forgive you-!"
"Hah? What are you blabbering on about?" Her beautifully slim frame enchanted me, "Forgive me? Shouldn't it be the other way around?"
"A-Ah..." I couldn't help but let my jaw drop as I wholeheartedly stared at her wearing this beautiful golden dress, "Y-You're... beautiful."
Hearing this, her face grew a tad Red, and I almost saw steam coming out of her ears as she tried (and failed) to keep her composure. But don't think I didn't mean what I said. I know her body front and back, so I'm just surprised at how incredibly different of an aura she gives off when wearing this bridal dress. The rims are made of a flower pattern, and the lower long skirt part of the dress is frilly and cute. The natural upside down taper extending upwards suddenly comes to an abrupt halt as from her hips and onwards, it's practically skin tight. Well, not literally, but you get the picture. I doubt she's using a corset, I think she's just naturally got an incredibly perfect frame that just meshes with this dress. That being said, where's Nat?
"Ta-dah!" Nat suddenly popped up behind her, letting go of the back of Cecily's dress and subsequently letting it go loose, "That's the power of a tailor, right there! She's tiny as hell, so I'm gonna hafta' do a ton of shortening and tightening before it gets as good as that. Consider it a preview though."
"Y-You...!?" Cecily, now standing buck naked in front of me as the dress fell straight to the floor, couldn't help but curse Nat out, "You damned idiot tailor!!"
Yeah, she's rough around the edges, and a bit of an annoying tomboy whose just way too overly touchy-feely with people... But she gave me a preview of my wife's wedding dress dropping to the floor months before the actual wedding night, so I approve of her. Nat is indeed a master of the arts.