A new coat (and a few other things)

There's a little sound as the front door opens, a flurry of snowflakes are ushered inside the shop before a woman tightly wrapped against the cold. The coat she's wearing covers much of her body as she hurries inside and closes the door gently behind her. With another delicate shudder she seems to relax little by little into the heat of the room offered by the large fireplace. She stands by the doorway, peering around with dark eyes barely visible before finally stepping quietly further into the store.

Then, with a small shrug she dislodges coat, pulling it off of her shoulders and revealing a lovely dress in a shade of red that truly complements the dark coffee of her skin. Which in turn complements the even darker raven of her hair that falls in soft waves about her shoulder gradually gradating to a gentle pink color.

She offers a brief glance around the shop once more now that she's clearly more comfortable in the space before making a leisurely way to the place where the register is. "Hello?" Her voice is fitting to her form, soft and yet somehow... it's as though that gentleness has an unseen boundary. A place that it can not be pushed past.

There is, at first, no one in the immediate interior. When Auranar calls out her hello, there is a crash from the crafts room and then an elf comes tromping out from the back. That elf is Sandy.

"The hell? I thought I locked up. No, it's fine. How can I help you?" She asks, presumably putting aside the issue that she was trying to close up and just forgot to lock her door.

Seems she's going to see to her anyway. She's giving her a once over, yes, perhaps trying to gauge what she might need.

The woman seems a little startled at the sight of Sandy, tucking some of her moderately long hair behind a long tapered ear that proves her own elvish bloodline. "Are you sure? I do not want to intrude if you are busy." She glances briefly to behind Sandy where the sound of the crash had come from, and it's clear that she's honestly concerned with the source of that sound. After a brief moment she lays her hand on top of her coat and has the grace to look embarrassed. "I have been informed that one of my duties as an apprentice is to accompany adventurers out... on their missions and realized that I have... nothing appropriate to wear, but that can certainly wait until a more appropriate hour."

Now that...

...that earns a belly laugh from her. "Nothing appropriate," she says, snorting. "If you're an adventurer, you're going to want some study things that you don't mind getting covered in shit, muck, grime, blood, ooze and did we mention blood? These are the things you're going to be dealing with, more often than not." She huffs, hands on her hips.

"Rugged canvas is a good option."

The woman smiles and it's like a sunset slipping across her features. It lights up her face so that her dark eyes twinkle merrily. It's hard to tell if it's the laughter - even somewhat at her expense - or the words themselves which first begin it. "Exactly the sort of thing that I would not want to happen to... say what I am wearing." She motions to the lovely red dress she is wearing. The thing is mostly bustle and delicately built. It suits her, but is clearly something that would never survive being adventured in. "Canvas you say? That seems so... rough."

"...yeeeees. I can see why. At least not unless you buy self-cleaning magical clothes. Is that even a thing? Maybe I should try to make that a thing," muses Sandy, thoughtfully.

In any even, she does give a nod towards her, seeming to find her choice of words more amusing. "A fellow bustle wearer. Myrrish?" she asks.

"Prestidigitation and mending can only do so much I have found." The woman tilts her head at the question of where and seems to consider it a moment. "I hail from the Mythwood, but the dress..." She nods.

"Of Myrrish make yes. I am Auranar by the way." The elvish woman holds her hand out toward Sandy to be shaken, she's a gentle touch but warmly offering greeting.

"Call me Sandy. This is my shop," says Sandy, reaching out to take the hand and to politely shake it. She's in a decent mood, it would appear. She lets go a moment later and then adds, "I thought so. I couldn't know the Mythwood, but the dress I recognize well enough. Bustles are always in fashion there, I suppose." She half turns to show off her own.

Auranar takes in Sandy's bustle and nods in certain approval. "Did you make the dress yourself? All of these?" She motions to the shop. Really, it is quite a collection of work and she already sounds half impressed even if only some of it is. "Or are you more a purveyor?"

"I make some of them. Not all," says Sandy. "I didn't make my own garb. This comes from a different fellow from Myrrdion. I do wear my own designs /sometimes/, but..." Sandy shrugs her shoulders. "I can point you towards some more rugged clothing, yes. How about this coat, for starters? It's long enough to offer protection from the elements, sturdy canvas, and it has elaborate floral engraving if that's your thing." She points towards it. It's a reddish-brown color. Seems quite warm, actually.

Like a flower turning toward the light Auranar seems happy to turn from the clothes. Though she certainly took another look around, as though trying to guess which ones are Sandy's own make and which ones come from a Myrrish contact, or some other place. She quickly focuses on the coat however, moving closer to it and reaching one hand out to touch the material. It's made of a much more sturdy one than the coat she was wearing before out into the cold. Sharp eyes take in the build of the coat, how it might lay and she runs her fingers over the shoulder briefly. "Beautiful. Do you do fittings?"

"Yes, of course," says Sandy, with a nod. "Go on, put it on. Let's see how it fits?" She gives her a thoughtful look, as if guessing how well it will do herself before it's actually set up. "And you can also request specifically from me, of course, any ideas you want followed up on and specific materials."

Gently Auranar places her jacket on the counter before stepping toward the new coat more fully. She allows herself to touch the coat one last time before pulling it smoothly off a hanger and onto her shoulders. There's a certain ease to the motion that suggests that she feels at ease, and though the coat is heavier even than she expected, she doesn't bow under the pressure of it either. She bears up with more strength than her gentle frame suggests and in truth... looks very good in the coat. Red suits her. Though this is a different red than the color she's wearing now beneath the coat. "It is very warm." She folds her arms around herself. The coat fits very well, only a few marks off near the shoulders more than anything where she's narrower. "And finely made... Are you sure this is quite alright? It might take me /hours/ to shop."

"Oh no. You might take hours to give me a sale. I am /horrified/," remarks Sandy. "AS long as you're going to buy something, I've got nowhere to be tonight." She glances towards the door. "Well, not until my ward comes and complains at me anyway."

The words draw a laugh out of the woman, and it's a good sound. Round and full and entirely contagious. She lifts a hand to her lips as though surprised by herself and pulls the coat off with just a touch of regret. "Well, you have already sold me on the coat, so no fear there."

She steps toward the next rack, not at all looking to really leave so soon with her shopping undone. Auranar touches everything beneath her fingertips lightly and then moves on until something catches her eye. "Your ward?"

"Yeah, a girl I'm taking care of," answers Sandy. No, not her daughter. She is totally not admitting to that!

"That is kind of you." Auranar's eyes fall. "It can be difficult being a child whos parents are not there to care for them. Or an adult who is caring for one such." Her voice has just the barest hint of understanding to it, as if this is something she understands better than most. "Will you show me then what might be most appropriate for adventuring in?"

"Trousers, for one. You CAN wear a dress and bustle while adventuring but I don't recommend it unless you're really capable," she remarks. "You're going to spend a lot of time running. Be sure you've got boots that are comfortable and will protect your feet. Socks, too, of course. That shit gets cold fast otherwise." She shrugs her shoulders, then adds, "Aside from the coat and similar top, them's the basics. You don't want to overdo it. Make sure it's all quickly replaceable. Bring spares." She snorts.

Auranar is so clearly paying attention that she might as well have been taking notes. "We will keep it simple for now then. I will take this top... and trousers..." She sounds slightly forlorn at the thought of wearing trousers, but she dutifully goes to the section for pants and starts to browse. It seems as though, this might indeed take some time because browsing them seems to have her somewhat stymied.

-End