A Secret Fitting

As it happens, different arrangements have been made by the time Telamon returns with the tailor, and the pair are shown to a reasonably well-appointed antechamber within the public areas of Daeus' temple, a table and several chairs, and are bid to wait here. It does not take all that long for Dolan to enter, and although he is moving at a relaxed pace, he still looks a good bit better than even the last time Telamon saw him. He is certainly moving better, clad in an unbleached shirt and a simple pair of trousers, and something resembling house shoes. All jewelry is absent, save for the stylized dragon around his neck that marks him as a servant of Daeus, but the artificial eye is very much in place, no attempt made to hide either claw furrows or acid scarring that renders much of the right side of his face fairly immobile.

Zeke is close at hand, following Dolan just half a step to the side and back of the man. It's clear that he is both there in case aid is needed, and because at the moment he is not. The blue-scale nods politely to Telamon as they enter the room, and then to the tailor whom he doesn't recognize. "Peasssce on your nessst. Thisss one hopesss that we did not keep you waiting long."

The two half-elves waiting for Dolan couldn't look more different, though they are both dressed quite elegantly if conservatively (well, for Telamon anyways). Telamon is clad in a deep violet tunic that subtly shifts color when he turns, over his usual black trousers and polished boots. As Dolan steps inside, his starry eyes light up and he smiles. "Dolan, it's good to see you up and about!" He nods politely to Zeke, "Sunguard. Thank you, again, for taking care of my friend."

The other half-elf comes forward. His head is shaven, and he's an inch or two shorter than Telamon, with a fiercely ebullient demeanor and a voice laden with the accents of Rosalia. "Ah, this would be the formidable Brydion Donnelly, or Dolan as you prefer?" The man offers a deep bow. "And his healer, as well. I am Jovani d'Andarion, tailor and clothesmaker. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Pleasure to meet you, Jovani," Dolan greets, the mobile side of his face forming a polite smile. The scarred half tries to follow suit, but is limited in motion. "Thank you for coming all this way. Thank you, too, Tel, for working all this out. Andie's promised to come see me when she's dressed," and here, the grin widens into something wicked. "She'll lose her mind." Clearly, this does nothing to Dolan save to delight him.

He turns to face both of them fully, stepping aside to let Zeke into the room. "I usually go by Dolan, yeah. This is Sunguard Zeke, and yeah, he's my healer. So -" here, he scratches uncertainly at his hairline with his right hand. "I've never exactly had anything tailored before, except armor."

Zeke nods his head low to the tailor, not quite bowing, but nearly so. He hums low in his throat politely, but the sound is easily dismissible. He swishes his tail in amusement at Dolan's uncertainty, and nods once to Telamon. "Thisss one isss pleasssed to be of assssissstance. Though thisss one knowsss very little about clothing. Though, thisss one doesss have a few sssuggessstionsss, if that isss acceptable?"

"Suggestions are welcome. Ah..." Telamon looks a bit abashed. "Andelena did come by and ask me for advice as well. So Jovani has his best dressmaker tackling that while he's working on you here." He taps his chin. "I won't spoil it for you, but -- just to make sure you don't clash, she's wearing green."

Jovani, for his part, is dressed in a dark suit, smartly designed, and he's already drawn a measuring tape out of his pocket. "Is it acceptable to touch the signor?" the tailor inquires of Zeke. "I will need to do so to take precise measurements." Meanwhile, as Telamon produces a slate and paper and begins making notes, Jovani inquires of Dolan, "I am informed this is a formal event, Master Dolan. Will this be for day, or evening?"

Dolan looks up at the mention of Andelena in green, and there are figurative stars in his eyes. "Green's fine. I can't wait to see it. So this is perfect. I'm trusting you."

At the mention of touching him, Dolan sucks in a deep breath, but nods. "Yeah, go ahead. Warn me if you're going to touch the left shoulder. It's pretty loose. I probably want a pretty high collar, if you can do that," he suggests, nodding to the tailor to do what needs to be done. "No spoilers. I'd love to get her some jewelry, but I don't think I'll be able to. I don't know for sure if it's day or evening, Auranar didn't say. Tel, did she tell you? I know she and Verna are doing something inside. Maybe go a little more formal?"

He turns his head fully towards Zeke. "What were you thinking?"

"Thisss one would like to sssuggesst sssome warm material?" Zeke offers a bit hesitantly, watching the tailor with care. Dolan hasn't reacted badly to being touched yet, but now would be a bad time to start. "And he ssshould likely wear a..."

Zeke falls silent a moment, motioning to his shoulder. "Sssling! Ssome-thing to sssupport hisss sshoulder and prevent othersss from touching yesss?"

Telamon furrows his brow, as if concentrating, before he responds, "It's a daytime ceremony, Jovani." He tilts his head a bit, then looks to Zeke. "A sling might be a good idea, to be honest."

Meanwhile, Jovani is moving, the measuring tape in his hands. His touch is as light as a child's, but he shows no reaction at Dolan's healing injuries. He softly repeats numbers to Telamon, who scrupulously writes them down. "We can incorporate a sling into the overall garment. Like a half-cloak, something that can be removed if need be." Jovani murmurs to himself, "High collar, perhaps Tsuran style... perhaps a matching court tunic in green, with a dark sling to contrast?" His eyes glimmer sympathetically. "Three buttons along the chest?"

Clearly, Dolan has _absolutely_ no idea what Jovani is talking about. He turns a wide brown eye on Telamon, an expression that clearly reads _help?_ written across both sides of his face. "Uh, sure," he stammers, letting Jovani do what he has to. The touch doesn't seem to be bothering him at all, so distracted is he by his own confusion. "I usually work without a sling, but yeah, it hurts after a while. I guess-"

"The sssling isss lesss for you than it isss for othersss Dolan." Zeke explains gently. "You do not want sssome-one to classsp you on the ssshoulder in congratulations." Zeke shudders lightly here. The reaction is entirely subliminal.

Telamon nods. "The alternative is we put a sign on you that says 'Don't touch my shoulder', and, well, that's not terribly fashionable." He rubs his chin, catching sight of Dolan's rather helpless look, and turns to Zeke. "Zeke, is it all right if I cast a spell? An illusion? It's one I used to help Andelena figure out what she wanted, and it might make this a little easier."

Jovani glances up from where he's measuring Dolan's legs and waist. "Indeed. I have a couple of my lookbooks from past seasons with me, but an image would be even better, one that we could alter as we narrow down his preferences."

From the look Dolan wears, he hadn't even considered that. "Huh. It probably would go badly if someone suddenly handed me something and said _hold this_, yeah?" He still looks more than a little baffled at the whole thing, and watches Jovani's every move intently, but so far, the man doesn't appear to have upset Dolan so much as thoroughly confused him, and he seems to accept the sling suggestion with reasonably good grace.

"Do what you want, Tel. I trust you."

Zeke nods to Telamon's suggestion and offer. "You may cassst a ssspell here." There is a small distinction in the phrasing. 'Here'. As in it would not be acceptable elsewhere. Zeke looks at Jovani, and seems mildly discomforted by him. Though he hasn't made any move toward the sith at all.

Telamon finishes noting down Jovani's numbers, before handing the paper off to the other half-elf. "Alright then." He rubs his hands together, and makes an elegant, intricate gesture. "Emegar gete." A soft shimmer of light forms between his hands, then expands to about three feet in height... resolving into a featureless mannequin that gradually takes on the appearance of Dolan, wearing an eyepatch, his hair neatly brushed and combed. "Tsuran collar tunic..." Telamon mumbles. Suddenly the image is wearing a green, high-necked tunic with a row of polished brass buttons down the front and delicate embroidery in gold down each side. One arm folds in and is supported by a simple black sling, fastened at the shoulder.

Jovani smiles broadly. "Ah, Master Telamon, you may not be a tailor but you have a good eye for these things."

Tel chuckles. "Just a few years in my father's wake, Jovani, watching what everyone else is wearing."

Dolan - _blinks_ at the image as it forms, clearly surprised, and turns himself to stare at it. This is far fancier than even the boots he had rendered for himself in the dream realm. "I-um. That's really nice." He suddenly ducks his head. "Dunno if -" he starts, and then grins sheepishly. "If Andie can wear a dress, I can't go in my usual clothes, now can I?" It sure sounds like he'd like to. "Can't have her looking all smashing and not do the same, yeah?"

"You said something about a half-cloak over the arm?" he asks curiously.

Zeke looks at the image with curiosity and interest. "Thisss one hasss a few quesstionsss if thisss one might?" He offers quietly, ready to let his curiosity go unstated if it is not desired, but upon confirmation that it is, he continues. "Thisss one wondersss if the sssling sssshould be fassstened in more than one plasce? To prevent all the weight from being in one plasce?"

After a moment he continues. "Alssso... Isss there sssome rule againssst prossstheticsss at sssoft-ssskin weddingsss?" He motions to the image of Dolan where it is wearing an eyepatch.

Jovani inspects the image, circling it and making notes, while Telamon nods. "Hold on..." The image is balanced in one hand, and he makes a curious gesture with the other hand. The eyepatch is swapped out for the prosthetic he's seen Dolan wear, and then a short half-cloak is wrapped around Dolan's shoulder, partly concealing the sling. "Hmm. Breeches or hose, Jovani?"

"Breeches. Actually, trousers, tapering, and tucked into dress boots. So... white trousers, and black boots." Jovani glances at Dolan with a friendly smile. "No offense, signor, but I do not believe you have worn hose before." Meanwhile, the image shifts, adding the aforementioned garments.

"Why would I wear hose?" The very idea leaves Dolan utterly baffled. "Usually if one of us is borrowing clothes, it's Andie." He stares at the illusion, though, relaxing as the image gains a prosthetic eye. "I, um, I really like the half-cloak. Can the edges have the same pattern as down the sides?" Despite himself, he's getting into this.

He turns his head towards Zeke at the sith's suggestion. "He might be right. It really hurts when all the weight on it is at one point. Maybe across the shoulder and then the cloak over it?"

Dolan is many things. A master of clothing is not one.

As the conversation becomes more centered around the clothing, Zeke falls silent. He knows even less about clothing - possibly - than Dolan does. Which leaves him with little to add to the conversation.

Telamon shoots a look at Jovani before just shrugging. "It's a style in some of the Myrrish Kingdoms. Don't worry about it, Dolan." He focuses on the image, and the cloak shifts a little, embroidery appearing along the hem. "We can also attach the sling at two points, either shoulder. It'll leave your other arm free to maneuver."

Jovani looked like he was about to answer when Tel gave him the look, and he simply shrugs. "Will you be carrying any notable accessories? The belt is strong enough to support a short blade, or a hip pouch. I understand you have a preference for the two-handed sword, though."

Immediately, Dolan shakes his head at the mention of the sword. "Not carrying a sword, Jovani," he demurs, somewhat regretfully. "I'm not really strong enough to fight." The good-natured demeanor goes ragged around the edges. "Just the hip-pouch ought to do it. I'll wear this," he indicates the stylized dragon around his neck. "That and my ring - I guess I don't have much else. I wish I could get Andie something."

Zeke eyes Dolan. "Then you ssshould get her sssome-thing Dolan. Ssome-thing that will make you both happy. Thisss one will pay for it, and if you insssisst, you can pay thisss one back by helping out here at the temple onsce you are well again." He says it as though it is a simple, easy thing.

Telamon coughs. "I will note that my advice to Andelena was to go understated, as far as jewelry and accouterments. Remember, this is Aura and Verna's day, so you don't want to upstage them. Besides," his eyes twinkle. "Your day and Andie's will come soon enough." He continues to adjust the image, and then looks to Jovani. "Any thoughts, Jovani?"

The tailor runs his fingers across his shaven head, his expression thoughtful. "You make an excellent point about not upstaging the brides. I think we should go for subdued accents. But..." He looks to Dolan. "This is your garment, signor. Is it to your liking?"

Dolan frankly stares at it in awe. "I've never owned anything that nice, Jovani," he answers, still blinking one-eyed at it. "I think it looks wonderful, and I'll go along with what you suggest. I'm not gonna fight or nothing. So, um, maybe pin it to both shoulders just in case, maybe with the same buttons? I guess the contrasting black would look all right if you could see it?"

He turns to Zeke, then. "I've got the money, Guild disbursed for my last job the day before I was taken. I guess I just can't get to the marketplace. Maybe they're right about getting her something for our wedding instead. If I get her just the ring, she'll wonder what I did to this one." The cheeky grin is back. "Our engagement rings are foci," he explains to Telamon. "There's a prayer that lets me shield her, take some of her hurt. She gets mad when I use it, though." Totally unrepentant.

Zeke nods to Dolan, and falls silent again. In truth he knows about as much about soft-skin jewelry as he does about their clothing. He does waft his tail from side to side in amusement at the mention of the spell though, his eyes twinkling.

"If you would, Telamon, please hold the spell. I must make notes." Jovani begins scribbling on the paper, while Telamon keeps focus. His eyes flick to Dolan, though, and he grins. "Ah, the things we do for each other. The curuchuil Lana and I both bear probably would work the same, I'd wager -- if either of us had a priestly bent."

Tel chuckles. "Still. We've found other ways to keep in touch. Although it's led to some curious... I won't say complications. Say rather it makes things more interesting."

"Yeah?" Now Dolan's curious, and he allows Jovani to do what he needs to do with slightly more than passing interest. "Lana came to visit me once, and she talked so fast I couldn't follow her at all. I hope she's calmed down a little." Still, it sounds like there's a story here, and Dolan is here for it. "Sounds like you two spiced things up a little." A wicked grin. "Now, it ain't none of my business what you did, but if you want to tell me anyhow, I'm curious."

Zeke doesn't interfere in the conversation any more than Jovani does, becoming unobtrusive in the background. It's clear that he's well practiced in the art of going unnoticed, because it's not that easy to hide the presence of a nearly seven foot tall sith-makar. But he manages.

Telamon laughs softly. "Well... we fixed a spell on ourselves. A telepathic bond." He tilts his head, and then rolls his eyes. "So just keep in mind if you tell -me- something, chances are good you're telling -her- as well. It's... different. Hard to explain. But... comforting as well. No matter how far apart we might be physically, there's always a part of us that's together."

Jovani chuckles quietly. "Magic and romance. Who says magicians cannot appreciate such things?" He finishes his notes. "You can release the spell whenever you like, Telamon. I have everything I need now."

"Oh." Dolan's smile fades, but he nods his understanding. "Yeah, that's good to know. Guess you two really can't have secrets from each other. So did you manage to get the boots?"

To Jovani, he grins. "I've met plenty of romantic mages. Tel's special because he's a mage with his head screwed on straight." The smile returns, for the different topic. "Thank you so much. Um, how much will it cost?" he asks suddenly.

Telamon arches an eyebrow. "Well, I do know I've been looking for an appropriate wedding gift, so... I figured I'd underwrite part of the cost, at least." His eyes soften a good bit. "Life's full of hard choices and misfortunes, Dolan. It's a blessing to find someone to be your partner, to share in its high and low points. I found it with Lana, and I'm happy to see you've found it with Andelena."

As he speaks, he absently touches the curuchuil mark on his hand, fingers tracing the wreath of feathers. "In any case, Jovani typically offers a discount to the temples anyways -- something about liking to have an in with the gods, as it were."

Jovani snorts. "I simply think of it as hedging my bets, Signor Telamon. There is no shame in that."

"No shame in you either, Jovani," Telamon replies with a grin. "In any case, I think we're done here, Dolan. Don't worry -- you'll have your garments ready before the wedding."

-End