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RESPITE MARKETPLACE - NOON
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Mirriam finds herself with naught to do awfully early in the day, her mostly-empty satchels resting against her sides with only a few undeliverables remaining. She wanders the marketplace idly, not really looking to buy anything in particular, though the pang of lunchtime has been itching in the back of her mind for a few minutes. She sniffs a sniff of something sweet simmering from a stall, closing her eyes briefly as she tries to identify the scintillating scent. "Sweet potates? In a bit 'a sugar butter? ooh... Where they at?"
Melia also wanders the marketplace idly, the naked semi-translucent lizard elemental having become something of a feature at the marketplace to some folks' chagrin and others' amusement. She happens to wander behind Mirriam just as the roo is sniffing, and turns to sniff the air herself: "Ooh... wait, sweet potatoes? I didn't know you could eat those!" She turns to Mirriam and gives a wave: "Ooh, hi!"
Mirriam turns with a grin to the voice, only to stop mid-greeting when she lays eyes on Melia. "Ya-hi you ARE A GHOST?"
Maecy is walking the marketplace with her notebook in hand, just trying to take in the town and the culture and let inspiration take her where it may. She's properly dressed in fashionable Sarn travel attire, bright colors making her stand out despite her shorter stature, meaning folks tend to see her and get out of her way. She perks up a bit at the scent of sweet potatoes, "I wonder if I could buy a few and ask the kind chef at the bar to cook them up for me~."
Melia blinks at Mirriam: "I most certainly am not!" She blinks again, pausing: "Wait, what's a ghost?"
Mirriam glances around, easily spotting Maecy among the crowd and patting her on the shoulder to get her attention. "You aren't? But you're all ghosty! You, lady, y'see this ghostie gal too, no?"
Maecy is peering at the sweet potatoes, only to glance up at Mirriam's pat. "Um, what? There's no such thing as gho-" She jumps back, hat falling from her head as she struggles not to trip backwards at the sight of Melia, "Ah! Y-y-y-you're... Naked!"
Melia crosses her arms, clearly offended: "I most certainly am n-" She pauses and looks down at herself: "Oh wait, I still am. That was a work in progress."
Mirriam blinks at Maecy's reaction, her tail catching the hat from hitting the ground mostly by chance. "I well yeah! But also half-visible and green!" She does look back to Melia after a moment, shaking her head. "Wait, why's nobody else sayin' nothin'? I mean..." She notices the crowd is actively moving around Melia. "They do seem t'know you're there..."
Melia shrugs with a smile: "It's a thing. I'm sorta only seen by... like, not everyone? Like it's not conscious, just how the Flow works?"
Maecy grabs at the table nearby with one hand, covering her eyes with the other. "A naked g-g-ghost, just out in the middle of the day?! That's not a thing!" She parts her fingers to glance at Melia again. "...So... it is a thing?"
Melia looks at Maecy, then down at herself: "Pretty sure I am a thing. I've worked pretty hard to be."
Mirriam shakes her head with a look of disbelief. "Th'hell happened to Respite while I was gone..." she mutters. "W-wait... I think I know 'bout you. Talkin the Flow or whatever, you aren't that el'mental whatsit that heals people with tingles n'shit, are ya?"
Melia blinks at Mirriam, tilting her head: "...er what now? You said the word 'heal' in there, at least. I do that."
Maecy glances at Mirriam, trying to parse her accent. "I don't know anything about this crazy town, so you'll have to excuse me. Is nudity just a thing here? Is no one else bothered by this?" She finally spots her hat on Mirriam's tail and swipes it back.
Mirriam nods to Melia, before looking to Maecy. "Well ah... yeah? 'Mean we're not in the bulk of summer yet, but it gets right scorchin' here..." She moves her tail out of Maecy's way after she takes the hat back, pausing for a moment before continuing. "I guess you and yer fancy outfit will stick out like crazy, but have a lookabout. Folks 'ere from the likes of Vamas're wearin an awful lot less than elsefolks."
Melia looks between the two: "Is this like... something I should worry about?" She looks at Maecy: "You looked pretty spooked there, that wasn't my intent so I'm sorry."
Mirriam turns back to Melia, her initial spook fading. "Well yeah. 'Mean it's hot as hell, but most folks still cover up their... Bits." She gestures towards Melia's hips. "It's just kinda polite society stuff."
Maecy holds her hat, looking over at Melia, then looking away again and covering her face with her hat. "Ahh! I'm just not used to it, all this is fairly n- w-wait, it gets Hotter?"
Melia tilts her head: "Odd way to go about being polite, but I don't really want to be impolite either." She looks at her hips, mildly confused about that part of the point, before turning to Maecy: "Pretty sure it does, yup. At least Erika's... I mean, my memories tell me so."
Mirriam is about to turn to Maecy when she hears Erika's name, hesitating for a brief moment before moving on. "Yeah a bit? Like enough that I get uncomfortable, and I'm from the bleedin' savannah!"
Melia tilts her head in confusions: "Savannah that bleeds? Sounds awful, I hope someone is healing it!"
Maecy lowers the hat again to raise an eyebrow at Melia, "Savannah that...bleeds? I think she means that as an expression... I... oh. You're not serious. That was a joke. Right."
Melia frowns: "I would never joke about someone bleeding. That's pretty awful thing to joke about it, isn't it?"
Mirriam chuckles, looking between the two. "She might not be, but yea. Out in Sarn, Westways. Still not as hot as Respite, but it's plenty healthy."
Melia turns to Mirriam with a relieved smile: "Oh, okay."
Maecy perks up at Mirriam's statement, "So that's why your accent sounded so familiar! It is a Sarn accent!"
Mirriam blinks at Maecy, nodding. "Yah, and yours is as well, yeah? Just ah... Stuffier. I don' mean that in a bad way, just th'only way I can think ta describe it!"
Melia tilts her head: "What's a Sarn ack-scent? And why is it stuffy?"
Mirriam shrugs. "Just a waya speakin'. A regional dialect. Y'know, the words you was raised with."
Melia shrugs with a smile, her tail swishing: "I wasn't raised with any words. Actually, wasn't really raised at all, come to think of it." She lifts a hand to her chin, hummin.
Maecy hides behind the hat again, out of embarrassment this time, "Oh, well, it's not 'stuffy' stuffy, but I guess I've been working in upper Glaushire a lot lately..." She spares Melia another cautious look, "N-not raised at all? Because... ghosts don't... have parents?"
Melia shrugs: "Well, not a ghost, or at least I don't think I am, whatever that is, but I was sort of born out of magic? There's a bit of a story to that."
Mirriam looks to Maecy, tutting. "Stoatmiss, you turn any redder your fur's gonna shift color. If her lacka pants is buggin you so much, buy her some." She glances over Maecy's dress. "Y'sure look like you can afford one skirt for a penniless, parentless and pantless elemental."
Maecy quickly nods, "Oh, well, yes of course! Pants, dress, if you'd allow me to pick something out for you I would of course be more than happy to put together an outfit for you! I'm more of a designer though..."
Melia looks from Mirriam to Maecy: "Pants? For me? But why... oh, it's the naked thing. Right."
Mirriam tilts her head at Maecy, humming, but biting her tongue for a moment. There's certainly a bit of interest in her look though. "Yah, let's I wanna come along, not every day one gets t'dress a sorta-ghost! There's a few shop about here, take your pick stoatlady."
Maecy turns to ponder. There's only a few clothing vendors she's gotten to meet so far, and spider-silk pants for the Elemental is just a little outside her budget, "I don't rightly know the town... so maybe the Seamstress Corner? Unless there's somewhere better you know of." She pauses to replace her hat atop her head and finally adjust it. "The name is Maecy, by the way. Or just Mae."
Melia smiles brightly: "I'm Melia! And uh... no need to do anything for me but I can't object either now can I?" She pauses, musing: "Or I suppose I could, but that would be another impolite thing to do, right?"
Mirriam can't help but grin when Maecy gives her name, nodding. "Yep. Mirriam. Guess we don' need the rest of the alphabet, yeah?" She looks back to Melia, shrugging. "I mean, y'could, I wouldn't say it's rude so much. Heck, some would say telling you to cover up could be rude. But ifya never had clothes, why not try some?"
Melia nods sagely: "I have never tried on pants, so it might be enlightening?"
Maecy smiles, "Y-yes! Pants, or a skirt, or a full on dress. You'd look wonderful with a mini dress... a plunging neckline for the frill (another lizard with a frill, are they common in this town?), flared skirt, a mix of dark and bold colors. I have some thoughts!"
Mirriam blinks as Maecy starts listing off an entire wardrobe, chuckling. "You got me all 'cited now!" She glances around, slipping her arm under Melia's and guiding Maecy to the nearest tailor; a shop behind the market stalls with some distinctively Sarn-esque clothes on display in the window, though many have cloth patterns from Vamas as well. "Come come, b'frore someone else sees her!" She's sure almost everyone around has already seen her.
Melia erks as she's being guided, definitely unsure where this is going, but Mirriam's excitement is contagious. "I-I can turn sort of not-visible if it helps? I don't know if I can try on pants then, though."
Maecy eeps as well, but she's just as excited as she has some vision in mind now. "Ah, that should be perfect! Well, uh, clothing isn't about being not-visible, in my opinion! It's about drawing attention to yourself, to announce to the world you want to be seen, about who you are inside! And... I guess not being able to try them on might be a problem... but we can figure that out when we get there!"
Melia nods as she walks, her confusion visible: "Who I am inside? But if I wanted to be seen, wouldn't clothes just get in the way? Not that I mind being seen, anyway, it's just some folks see me better than others."
Mirriam giggles, nodding along as she takes the two toward the little clothier shop. "Ah, but if ya wear clothes, everyone'll see you!"
Melia tilts her head: "Is that how it works? I had no idea."
Maecy grins as they enter the shop, the little bell ringing over their head as they push through the door. "It's how it worked for me. May always complained that no one ever noticed her, but she always wore those frumpy work clothes and plain colors." She leads on once they're inside, browsing for something to match the image in her head.
Melia follows out of definite curiosity and desire to learn... whatever exactly she is her to learn and experience. "Not sure about this... but a little curiosity never hurt anyone, right?"
Mirriam grins, nodding. "Not in a dress shop, anyways. Well, 'cept Fendrick. Snuck into a dress shop two or some years ago, left with a lot of ladies' undergarbs and a lot'f upset ladies chasin' him. Had quite the headache aft'r all that."
Maecy is already picking out a few items off the rack, or motioning up to Mirriam to grab a few items where she can't reach, only pausing to shoot Mirriam an odd look, only to stop and shake her head. "At worst... you don't like the new clothes, and we don't buy them. So no, nothing to lose, Ms Melia."
Melia nods slowly as she looks around, not really having wandered into a dress shop before: "I guess so... all these colors, hidden here though? Weird."
Mirriam follows Maecy's directions to a tee, nabbing anything she can't reach and carrying whatever is handed to her so Maecy can start her fashion rampage. "Yes! All kinds of colors. Mae knows what she's doing, you're in good hands Melia!"
Maecy nods, lifting her head proudly. "If we had more time I'd design you a custom outfit! But this will have to make do." Satisfied at last, she leads towards the dressing rooms in the back.
Mirriam follows along, carrying an armload of lizard-appropriate garments
Melia follows, still not very clear on the goal of this clothes-acquiring but happy to go along with the plan. She looks at the pile of clothes in Mirriam's hands, then at Maecy: "What do we do now?"
Maecy motions towards the dressing room, "Well, go on in with the clothes and uh... try them on?"
Mirriam chuckles, looking between Maecy and Melia. "She might not know how'ta. I'll go with her, you just wait out here miss Mae, we'll be right out!"
Melia blinks: "Oh! Right, that would work for it, it would." She takes the clothes, looking them over before wandering into the dressing room... leaving the curtain open as she starts looking over the clothes and figuring out where to put them. Mirriam being right, the elemental has no idea what she's doing whatsoever.
Maecy nods, giving a thumbs up to Mirriam, "I... I'm going to sketch. Good luck!" She opens up her design book and takes out a pencil, starting to let her more personal design ideas take shape on the page.
Mirriam tugs the curtain closed, giggling a bit as she helps Melia lay the clothes out by where they go and vaguely in the outfits Maecy had picked out. "These are underwear, y'start with them. Step your legs through 'ere and pull 'em up to your hips."
Melia nods slowly, then manages to get the underwear up there correctly... on the second attempt, anyway. Tails are inconvenient. "Like this? I guess like this. Mini-pants! Cute."
Maecy 's ears perk up as she tries not to listen in, instead focusing on the design she has in her head for Melia, sketching the lizard/elemental/ghost out before adding the design overtop, making a few notes as she goes.
Mirriam chuckles, nodding as she picks up the first dress. "And they go with almost anything. Wouldn't go walkin' around in just them though, so try this on. This one just... Hang on." She figures out how the dress goes on, holding it down for Melia to step into. "This one look ta pull up then fasten in the back. Mae factored in yer tail, I'da forgot."
Melia steps into the dress, and with Mirriam's help even manages to get it on properly. It's a cute little yellow number with minimal frills, but it accentuates Melia's sizable curves quite well. She turns to look at Mirriam over her shoulder: "But you have a tail? How do you forget that?"
Maecy giggles outside the dressing room. "You'd be surprised how many folks forget their own tails. It's silly."
Mirriam giggles, shrugging. "Not mine, lass, I'da forgot yours." She pats the top of Melia's tail teasingly before helping her close up the back of the dress, stepping back and nodding. "Y'look propah cute in that, go show Mae!" She pulls the curtain back to reveal the lizard-ghosts first outfit.
Melia blinks, then turns around in the dress, trying to figure it and it's purpose out: "This... looks odd, but not bad, like odd-bad?" She steps slightly out of the dressing room, enough for Maecy to see: "It's on right, right?"
Maecy glances up from her sketchbook and smiles. "Looks like it's on right to me! How does it feel?"
Melia looks down at herself: "Weird."
Mirriam steps out with Melia, nodding as she looks the dress over properly. "Yeah, that sounds about right. Can't often wear dresses myself, feel weird out of anything not like my uniform. Looks good on ya, though!"
Maecy frowns, "Like, too tight? Too loose? I admit I only eyeballed your sizes, so we can probably get better measurements here if you want and get more accurate sizes... if... well you can wear clothes so we should be able to take measurements..." She glances at Mirriam. "Oh! You thinking we should try something more casual?"
Melia looks at Maecy oddly: "I... I have no idea what you just said. But whatever you think is right, right?"
Mirriam hums, shrugging. "I dunno Maecy, does it look too tight? D'you mean it's just weird feelin' the clothes hangin' on ya?"
Melia looks at Mirriam, then nods: "Yup! It's like... stuff on me. But not like, plant magic stuff. Clothes stuff!"
Maecy tilts her head, "I guess it would feel weird if I'd never worn clothes before."
Mirriam blinks at Melia, tilting her head. "Plant magic? I thought y'were a healer."
Melia blinks back at Mirriam: "I am. But like, also sorta nature elemental? Or that's how Tarbin puts it. Plants talk to me, I talk back, get encouraging results from them. Flow... sorta is around me, and is me, but isn't?" She shrugs with a smile at Maecy: "Weird is relative, I guess."
Mirriam sighs, shaking her head before she can go crosseyed. "Magic stuff, got it." She looks to Maecy. "Y'understand that any better than me?"
Maecy gives an awkward smile back, "Y-yeah... relative is right. I think you look wonderful though..." She flips her sketchbook towards the two, showing the image she's drawn of Melia in a dress she's designed, "This is what I wish I could design you right now though."
Melia peers at the sketchbook: "Ooh, pretty! Very pretty! That me? I guess so."
Maecy nods, "I'm not a very good artist, but yes! That's you!"
Mirriam looks at the sketch, lighting up. "A-ha! i knew it was really you! Wah, to be talkin to the Maecy! Get on, meetin all kindsa names from home 'round here!"
Melia looks at Mirriam, confused: "The Maecy? There's more of her?"
Maecy blushes at the recognition, "I don't know if I'm big enough to have a 'The' attached to my name, but uh, yeah. That's me. Just the one of me... unless you count my sister. But we don't really look anything alike."
Melia muses: "How do you get a 'the' attached anyway? Sounds awkward."
Mirriam giggles at Melia's question, nodding. "Ay, yeah it would be! Yer well enough known, folk'll call you 'the' all the time with ya name. And 'course yer known, Mae, lotsa whispers about what'll come out next. Got talent, girl, and y'know it."
Maecy pulls back her sketchbook, still blushing, "Aw, I've still got a long way to go, but I'm proud of what I've done so far. But I'm happy and uh, a little surprised, honestly, to meet a fan."
Melia looks between the two, then just smiles happily. "Don't really get it, but happy for you both!"
Mirriam giggles, shrugging. "Fan's much, how about moderate admirer? Just kinda a thing when I meet someone I heard rumors of. Like meeting a fairy tale pawn."
Maecy giggles back, "I'll still take it." She dips her head to Melia as well, "I do this for a lot of people. It's sorta my dream job, designing clothes. Making a name for myself. Getting my 'The', I guess!"
Melia smiles: "Sounds like fun!" She gets a dreamy look on her face, imagining who-knows-what, before getting back to reality: "Or something. I don't know, but happy to help! ...I am helping, right?"
Maecy pats her sketchbook, "You've given me inspiration! So yeah, you've helped."
Mirriam laughs, nodding. "Probably, yea! You'll be the elemental dressed by Mae! And she'll be the one who dresses 'em! Or something. i know yer not a seamstress, but I hear tell there's some serious talent around town, yeah? Like arachnid type talent. Y'might want to get a word in there, can't imagine there's a whole lotta designers vying fer her eyes out this way!"
Maecy nods, "I got invited here to meet her, in fact. Nothing is set yet, but my designs, done in spider silk? More than I could have ever hoped for."
Melia lets out a cheer: "Yay! Glad to help such a great... talent, I guess is the word?" She shifts into a cloud of green magic, appearing behind Maecy to hug her tightly. "You get a hug!" The elemental's newly-tested clothes fail to follow with her, falling to the floor to where she stood a second ago.
Maecy eeps at the sudden, naked, hug from behind. "AHhh! Haaaa ha... well... seems clothing has one small problem for you."
Mirriam blinks, grin widening. "Not famous my foot, then! Congrats and all! Ah!" She bursts out laughing when Melia seems to teleport out of her clothes. "Unforseen complications, oh my!"
Melia lets go of the hug: "Sorry! Just got excited." She glances at Mirriam: "And what complications? I'm still he-" She looks at the pile of clothes: "Oh. Oops?"
Mirriam covers her mouth with a hand, reducing to intermittent giggles. "Just a slight issue of tangibility."
Maecy sighs, but doesn't seem too put off by it all this time. "I'm guessing that's just another usual 'elemental thing'?
Melia shrugs with a smile: "I have no idea! Haven't really met other elementals. I'll ask if I meet any?"
Mirriam grins, shaking her head. "No idea here either."
Maecy hops off her seat and stows away her sketchbook, walking over to retrieve the fallen clothing. "So, is that a 'no' on the dress and pants?"
Melia hums for a second, then shrugs: "I don't know? It's possibly I don't know the full extent of myself just yet, sorta been corporeal like this for a short time. I will give pants a definite, solid, resounding 'maybe'."
Mirriam scratches her chin, shrugging. "I mean, seems she can wear it 'slong as she doesn't kinda... ghost about. Maybe if ya got plant magic you can just grow some kinda plant dress when you poof around?"
Melia blinks at Mirriam: "Wait wait wait, that's being a ghost?"
Maecy tilts her head at Mirriam. "I... don't think ghosts are real. I guess I didn't know 'elementals' were real either though."
Mirriam shrugs. "I dunno, bein' non-physical is a ghosty thing, vriend."
Melia looks down at herself: "I'm pretty physical. At least Tarbin said I've gotten rather so."
Maecy shrugs, "Well... up to you if you want to keep the clothes or not. If you do, I did say I'd buy them."
Melia smiles: "We will find out, I guess. I'm not sure myself. It's new, but not like... bad new?"
Mirriam nods at Maecy. "Generous~" She turns to Melia. "Well if ya got a place to keep 'em, I'd not say no to the offer. Could wear them for a nice night out or soemthin' and just have to concentrate on not phasing out of them."
Melia nods sagely: "I think I could do that, yep."
Maecy giggles, "I owe you something as well Mirriam. I'll just have to think it over. Decide what best suits you."
Mirriam blinks, chuckling quietly. "nah, don't worry 'bout me! But I do wanna introduce ya to someone else, even if indirectly. Dunno if she'll help ya broaden yer talents and what. There's a lizard seamstress from Vamas in the marketplace, name'a Rhask. Nice lady, easily flustered like you. Might have some styles t'trade?"
Maecy grins, "I'd be honored to meet her!" She gathers up the clothing at last and starts to head to the front to checkout. "I'll take care of this then..."
Melia brightens up: "Ooh, I know her! She's nice. Also offered me clothes, come to think of it!"
Narrator: The three continue their impromptu afternoon of clothes, ghosts, plants and pants. Things go mostly well, aside from one or two further slipups from the elemental vanishing out of her clothes.