Heavenfall

"We must make do with the weapons fate has gifting us." thought Ayumu as he strolled the street.

He had put on his best wear, and had his spare clothes carefully folded under his arm. At his belt a bag with all his tools of trade.

He was looking for a clothing store. The one that looked the most expensive, with few but well-fed clients, rare fabrics and intricate designs.

He's able to find one easily - it looks like one that caters to the upper classes of clientele, judging by the amount of adornment they're wearing compared to some that wore simple linen sashes and kilts and were engaged in manual labor. The fabrics inside were soft and dyed colorfully. It looks like there are various materials and weaving patterns in play, though no silk.

After having examined the display for a bit, Ayumu nodded to himself and called out to the rat behind the counter:

"Hello. Could it be that you are the very best tailor shop of this city? With customers that come in this very place to get marvels of clothing they have no chance to find anywhere else?"

The tailor clearly doesn't follow most of what you said, but does catch enough of it to not. "Yes. Best-best cloth. Here for cloth?"

Oh yes, the barrier language. Didn't think it through Ayumu, did you?

He mentally trashed the speech he had prepared, so overblown and grovelling it would probably have made Nanzi proud, and went on with the flow:

"You best-best at clothes. But could be even more best-best. Could offer clothes-clothes no other shop in town has. Make other shops even more jealous of you. Make city folks say even more good-good about you."

The Nezumi looked interested, if skeptical. "Good-good. Improve niche and Name. What human-human want?"

"Me also good-good at clothes. Not as good-good as you, but good-good enough for a human.

Me can take clothes of you think not as good as other clothes of you. And make them like human clothes. Still Nezumi clothes, but with human... Style? Design? Feel?"

He unwrapped his package and pointed to the Phoenix embroidery on his spare tunic.

"Human symbol. Done human way. On Nezumi clothes. No other shop city have that. Exotic. Like, coming from far. But only here can find."

The Nezumi gestured for him to come inside and shows some elegantly embroidered colorful fabric. It's different from what he'd seen many Nezumi wear. "Have some-some human pattern. Ivindi. No tribe human pattern, though. Would be new."

They tilted their head. "You try trade?"

Ayumu resisted hard the desire to negotiate for the Ivindi clothes. Or for most clothes in the shop actually. Focus.

He showed his spare tunics:

"Me only have this. Already cut and human-sized. But me can make more with materials."

He opened the small box with his tools of trade:

"Words hard. Action strong. Me can show you skills of mine here and now if you lend me some fabric."

The Nezumi shook its head and brought him deeper into the shop, into the back room. He showed him where an advanced set of tools were, including a variety of thread and fabric, as well as both steel and bone needles. "Have better materials. Pick some. Use. Show."

Ayumu went all or nothing. Half-measures wouldn't make it, he had to impress the rat as thoroughly as he could if he was to push for ludicrous prices for his skills.

Time to do as a good a job as with Kinsen's dress. He breathed deeply and immersed himself in his work. Forget about pressure. Forget about failure. Act as if you were back in your own shop. No, act as if you were back at home, sewing a simple tunic for your sibling. Just do your best. If things don't work that way, you'll simply find another way.

And so he worked. Carefully, meticulously.

In the end, he had no idea if he had done well or pushed too far too fast and butchered it, but his anxieties had faded. He was ready for whatever would come next.

The rat watched him work, sending an assistant to man the front while he did. When he finished, he picked up the material, turning it over in his hands. Eventually, he nodded. "Human have much-much skill."

He looked at the flock of small phoenixes now taking flight through the length of cloth for confidence, then raised his head to match the Nezumi's stare:

"Wouldn't have bothered great rat if not. Can do many different symbols like that. Speciality is fire bird, but also big dragon, scary cat, fiery horse, jumping stag.

Can sew some now. Can sew far more later, when come back from pit. If come back. Trip very dangerous."

(OOC: Ayumu's next slot is still free would he need to spend it in the shop too)

The Nezumi nodded thoughtfully. "Can teach human some, too. What human want-want? No answer before."

"Would love to learn when go back. So many beautiful things here.

Want jade. Shamans of our... pack? say must have jade if want to survive. Jade protects humans against bad things south, like swamp-who-is-monster."

The rat nodded. "Thought only say dream-of-evil close. Good knowings. Have little. You take, come back."

The rat rubbed its chin. "Maybe bring some Nezumi styles to human after you get knowings. Maybe they like. More niche then."

"Thanks. Every little bit helps.

Have bit of time before need go back to camp. Me start teach you, you start teach me?"

He nodded. "Yes. Good-good." With that, he sat down on a stool nearby to begin.

/scene?

Ayumu gains 2 fingers of jade.