Low points in high places [Tagging Verity]

[rogueinladysclothing]

Apologies are not something that come easily for Amelia, especially when they're deserved. True, she's only managed one true apology when several are needed, but she finds waiting for resolution after the fact to be even worse.

She hardly goes out anymore. The Fox and Crosier has all the essentials for living, so her only reason for visiting the Commercial District or the Forum is pure curiosity, but even that's in short supply these days. The weight of her actions, of the consequences of a poorly made decision, rest heavily on her. Most hours of the day are spent in the yew tree outside her window, trying to figure what to do next, debating if it's worth going out into public.

On yet another warm and pleasant afternoon, it's in those tree branches that Amelia finds herself. Dressed in the clothes of Verity's world, her hair down, her hair pin being turned over slowly in her hands. She looks as terrible as she feels, but as no one comes to see her here, she doesn't really care.

Someday, she's going to be embarrassed about her current appearance, especially the fact that her hair is full of leaves from the tree.

Comments

[brave_heart_verity]

He seems to be taking a lot of things in stride, like the modern materials he's started collecting. Probably at the request of one of those people who don't know how tailors work, she'd guess. "Oh. That makes sense."

Verity watches the exchange between them with a little frown forming. She can see the change in Amelia's mood, but waits to see how she handles herself. Jumping in to stop her all the time won't teach her anything. The restraint gets a small and approving nod from her.

Then she'll change the subject. "Could you make me a headband of this ribbon too, please?"

[rogueinladysclothing]

The relief of having not done something terribly stupid is obvious in Amelia's slumped shoulders, and she's grateful for Verity's jump in to save her from any further embarrassment. She's just going to hide over here off to the side now, thanks.

"Of course." Alex walks over and gently takes the ribbon from her, turning it over to inspect it before smiling at Verity. "This should work nicely for a headband. I'll just need a few quick measurements, though." He sets aside the trim and grabs his tape again. Once he's sure Verity is ready, he'll take a few quick measurements around her head, scribbling down the measurements alongside all the others he's already taken.

"Perfect. Now, would you like the band underneath to be white or black? Or perhaps some other color? The world is your oyster as far as colors go." He chuckles and motions to the walls on either side of them. "The fabric doesn't matter much in this case, so no need to worry about that part."

[brave_heart_verity]

Verity's gaze follows Amelia until Alex takes the ribbon. "Should have left my hair up," she murmurs. This is easier to hold still for; she's used to having people work in and on her hair. "You're very thorough. Do you keep these on file for future reference?"

The question of color gets a soft hum and she examines the ribbon again. "If nobody's going to see it, white would probably be smart? It would match the background color of the ribbon." And probably wouldn't show through or change the appearance too much. "How will it fasten? Or will it be sewn shut?"

[rogueinladysclothing]

"I don't mind the effort," Alex offers with a smile before beginning his measurements. "I do keep everything on file for future reference. If I can easily see a change in your general shape or if you're going for something completely different than normal - like Amelia over there - then like to take new measurements. Just in case."

He considers the questions for a moment before answering. "I think some kind of decorative snap would be nice, that way you can put it together on the side of your head without worrying about it looking odd. I'll do my best to make sure the pattern matches up, though."

Amelia's still off to the side, though now she's taking the time to look at buttons. So many tiny drawers filled with so many different sizes and colors. It makes for a good distraction.

[brave_heart_verity]

"I suppose it falls under the carpenter's adage to measure twice and cut once?" Wait, no, she doesn't want to get measured again. Crap. "You must have found all kinds of diplomatic ways to handle telling someone they've gained weight."

"If the pattern can match up that'd be great. But somehow I doubt my head is so perfectly shaped and sized for that to work." The flashes of light and color from the buttons are very distracting, Amelia. Verity doesn't want to miss out on looking at the pretty things. "If you can manage that, though? I'll probably be back for a lot more."

Verity's finally coming to understand the obsession with ribbons in Jane Austen novels.

[rogueinladysclothing]

"I'll see what I can do. Now, you two run along - I've got plenty of work to do to make sure the both of you look your very best for ball." Alex makes a small shooing motion at Verity in Amelia's direction, since the girl seems to be decidedly not paying attention at the moment. At least, that's how it looks. In reality, she's been listening the whole time and she turns when she hears Alex's comment, motioning Verity over to look at all the fun buttons. No need to worry, Verity, Amelia wouldn't deprive you of your chance to look at all the shiny things!

[brave_heart_verity]

"Yes, sir." There's a distinct note of teasing in her tone, but she'll turn and go to join Amelia. She's curious what her friend has discovered, and a just competitive enough to hope she can catch up.

She looks over the one Amelia's kept out, sometimes turning one over to inspect both sides, before she comments. "I never knew there were so many ways buttons could look. They're mostly all white, in my experience." Buttons are a place where fashion has definitely fallen down since the Industrial Revolution. "Are those wood?"

[rogueinladysclothing]

Amelia nods as Verity begins taking a look at all of the buttons Alex's shop has to offer. "There are some made of wood, some of pearl or other soft gemstones, and many of them are made of plastic. In my world, most are made of wood or bone." She hopes that doesn't worry Verity too much. "I think Alex mostly keeps plastic varieties around, as they offer the largest range of color. However, some of these hand carved wood buttons are stunning." She holds out one in particular to make her point.

[brave_heart_verity]

The idea of carved bone doesn't phase her. She figures it's animal bones, and it's not wrong to use all the parts of something. It's paleo environmentalism. "Oh, that's incredible. It's so thin." She rubs her thumb over the carvings to feel how shallow each mark is.

"People use gemstones as buttons?" Mother-of-pearl buttons she's heard of. Anything more than that would seem like a stunt to her, like a diamond-studded bra. "I suppose that's one way for the men to make up for not wearing jewelry."

[rogueinladysclothing]

Amelia laughs softly at Verity's comment. "Only the richest people do it, and it's definitely not very common, but it does happen from time to time. Usually, though, the fanciest anyone will get with their buttons is pearl or carved sea shells. As for me? I prefer wood buttons. They can be painted or dyed a variety of colors and are relatively inexpensive."

The fact that she cares about how expensive or not expensive anything is could be considered comical if Verity knew anything about Amelia's spending habits back home. Then again, she's been rather frugal and insistent on haggling for lower prices on almost everything here in the Nexus, so maybe it's not as strange as Amelia might think?

[brave_heart_verity]

"I wouldn't imagine many people could afford to do it," she agrees with a faint smirk. "There was a time in my world when people used jewels as buttons, and to decorate their clothing. They'd wear the outfit once or twice, then cut off the gems to use them again on another dress." Such wasteful decadence. She, too, prefers to be careful with her money when she can be. It allows for splurging when the need arises.

"Are you looking for buttons for your dress?"

[rogueinladysclothing]

"Sounds like something I'd hear stories about the nobles of my world doing." It's such an over the top display of wealth that it leaves a sour taste in Amelia's mouth. Sure, her family is noble now, but the only stories she hears about such things are from those in the far away capital or in other lands. And they sure as hell don't have enough money to even think about doing something like that.

"No, not for this dress. I don't think it'll need buttons. I just..." She sighs. No point in lying - it's a hard thing to remember. Her voice drops lower as she continues. "I got so close to doing something stupid and I was worried I might follow it up with something stupid, so I thought it best to hide and remove the possibility of doing it." A few buttons pass in and out of her hands as she speaks - a nervous habit, but a better one then reaching up and playing with her hair pin right now. There's no mistaking her actions for an aggressive move when she plays with the buttons.

[brave_heart_verity]

"People with real taste don't need to flaunt it like that." Says the girl who's happiest in stripey socks and oversized tees. "The term nouveau riche is not a compliment where I come from precisely because of those kinds of displays."

Verity pats Amelia's arm lightly after the explanation. "That's probably for the best right now. But you saw what was happening and removed yourself from the situation. That's a really good start. I'm proud of you." She's not a therapist, but she can try to say helpful things.

[rogueinladysclothing]

"Thanks. I feel better about having kept from doing anything, but I also feel a bit like a child - hiding when I think someone may come to punish me." She sighs again and throws a plaintive look at Verity. "Will it always be this hard?"

[brave_heart_verity]

"No. It'll get easier with practice, just like your other skills. And I'm here to help you, not punish you." Will Amelia allow an arm around her shoulders? "How about we put these away and go for a walk? I think you need some chocolate."

[rogueinladysclothing]

Verity's allowed to do pretty much anything related to comfort to Amelia. The girl has no idea how it works and since Verity seems to have gotten pretty good at it, she'll follow the other woman's direction. Once the arm is around her, she'll pull herself closer, though.

"Chocolate? What's that?" After setting aside the buttons, she raises an eyebrow at Verity. No, her world doesn't have chocolate. Seems Verity gets the chance to introduce her to that as well.

[brave_heart_verity]

"Chocolate is..." Huh. How do you describe chocolate? "It's a sweet. A type of candy, made from part of a plant and milk and sugar. It's really... there's nothing like it. But almost everyone enjoys it."

She pauses to call a goodbye to Alex, and nudges Amelia to do so as well, before they head out on another adventure.

[rogueinladysclothing]

Amelia offers a smile and a wave to Alex as they head out of the shop, though the tailor is already quite absorbed in adjusting his sketches and measuring out muslin for Verity's mock up. He does give a distracted wave as they make their way out, though.

"What plant would make a good candy?" The thought confuses Amelia, but she's also extremely curious. If Verity tells her that hops candy is a thing, she's going to be in a world of trouble if she gets back home. With a brother who's apprenticed to a brewer, that could be dangerous knowledge.

[brave_heart_verity]

"Vanilla, licorice, mint, most fruits, candied flowers..." She smirks at Amelia and gives her a little squeeze. "Just try a piece? If you don't like it, that's fine, there's plenty of other candies around."

It isn't a long walk to a confectioner's. Nexusites do love their sweets. This is a nice, old-fashioned (to Verity) kind of place: bins of penny candies, boxes of candied fruits and nuts, bars of good chocolate and some truffles. Nothing's overly fancy or expensive, but everything's tasty. The air is laden with the scent of sugar and spices. And, perhaps the best selling point, the workers are all a little plump and can often be caught sampling the goods. "One question: do you prefer all sweet, or some bitter with the sweet?"

[rogueinladysclothing]

"Hmm, I suppose you have a point with all of those..." Sweets aren't really a thing in her world yet, but if she ever gets home, she's going to be bringing some ideas to certain people. "And of course I'll try a piece. I have to learn everything I can while I'm here, right?" Verity gets a small smile with that.

The candy shop is a place Amelia's walked by dozens of times, but never wanted to walk into before now. She's always been a person who was content with the sweet flavor of certain fruits if she was feeling peckish for that sort of thing. The aroma of spices makes her feel at home, though, and she smiles as she looks around.

"I've... never really had candy before, so I'm not sure?" It's a very strange thing to say, but it's true. "I don't usually like overly sweet things, though, if that helps."

[brave_heart_verity]

Sweets do require a lot of sugar or honey, so it's not surprising it's slow in coming. And they really don't want to come into it the way Verity's world did. But if the supply of sweeteners isn't a problem, it would definitely be a good new business for the family to invest in. They've already got the spices. It's a match made in heaven.

"It's fun to try new things. And this is a nice one." Amelia can take her time looking around. Verity knows exactly what they're starting with and heads straight to the chocolates. "Not too sweet. I know just the thing."

For Amelia's first chocolate: the traditional dark chocolate ganache truffle.

Now I want a dark chocolate ganache truffle!

[rogueinladysclothing]

There's so much to take in that Amelia doesn't even know where to start. It's best that Verity leads, which is why she seems grateful when she's lead to the chocolates.

The chocolate is taken with great care from Verity and examined carefully. She smells it, raises an eyebrow at it, then pops it in her mouth. It takes her a minute to fully chew and swallow the truffle, given she's trying to get everything she can out of this experience. Her face is awash with many emotions as she eats, but eventually she ends it with a smile.

"That was... different from anything I've ever tasted before in my life. I think I like it, though." The smile becomes sheepish as she nods toward the case. "Can I try another?"

Me too. I did not think this plan through.

[brave_heart_verity]

It's kind of fun to watch her tasting the chocolate. Verity's never seen someone have it for the first time before. There's no rushing because this is too wonderful a thing to rush, but when she asks for another it's already waiting. Sea salted caramel enrobed in more dark chocolate. "This one has a caramel filling. That's sugar and milk without the chocolate."

The chocolate cravings are reeeeeal.

[rogueinladysclothing]

"So, sweeter than the last one?" Amelia's going to try it anyway, because she wants to try everything in this store now that she's had one delicious thing.

This next truffle is eaten equally slow, but ends with a slightly confused look. "This... caramel - it's a strange thing. It evens out the bitter of the chocolate, but I feel like when it's all that's left it's too sweet. Perhaps I simply ate the chocolate wrong?" She wouldn't be surprised at all if she had.

And so close to Halloween, it's a sin.

[brave_heart_verity]

"Somewhat," she admits. There's a range of options, and Amelia needs to learn where her tastes fall within that range.

"There's no wrong way to eat candy. If it's sweeter than you like, that's okay. Hmm... ah. Bitter orange. You like oranges?" There's so many possibilities, Amelia'd get a tummyache if she tried one of everything. But she's welcome to examine the little cards explaining what each kind of treat is. "Or salted almond?"