Dev An Unusual Request

[Thelma Goth]

Thelma studied the message on her datapad. An anonymous client wanted her to make them a custom "costume". Hallowe'en was months away, but it wasn't uncommon for her to receive requests like this well in advance of the holiday. She appreciated the extra time it gave her to work on them.

But the message specified that the outfit was needed as soon as possible, and the client was fairly specific about what they wanted: a set of realistic Jedi robes (the key word being realistic), with a matching headdress which would cover the ears.

Huh. Maybe it was for a theatrical production? She had a few regular players who relied on her for their costumes. Either way, it was exactly the sort of intriguingly unusual project she loved doing. Thelma typed up a quick response:

Hello,

Thank you for choosing me to be your tailor. I am very excited to work with you!

I appreciate that you have provided your measurements, but I would still like for you to come and visit me for a proper fitting, if possible. We can discuss the details of the project in person. I have enclosed my coordinates in this message.

Warm regards,
Thelma Goth

Ellissanthia​

 

[Ellissanthia]

Location: Lamont - Dahrtag
Attire: X
Notable Equipment: Nox M-10 "Wraith" (Concealed) │ Dermal Hydration Underlay
Direct Engagement: Thelma Goth

Ellissanthia had traveled to Dahrtag in simple civilian attire, without a personal shuttle or escort. Instead, she had secured a ride with a courier who had a fast ship and a need for money with no questions asked.

Naturally, she hoped that the tailor would not be one to ask questions either.

Fortunately, Ellissanthia was prepared with a relatively basic cover story to explain why she was seeking a hyper-realistic set of Jedi robes. However, she wasn’t quite sure whether or not it would be wise to use it. If this particular tailor was as good as she had heard, then the Undine hoped that she would be capable of doing more for her than just producing the robes; things that would further strengthen her disguise so that even someone who had seen her on a previous occasion would not be able to tell who she was.

After all, she was venturing into a place that was full of people—Jedi—who she might have already had mortal engagements with. And even with a different outfit, her skin tattooed, her hair dyed, and her ears covered, she knew that there were several other ways that people might be able to tell who she really was.

And so, after stepping out of the speeder bus, Ellissanthia made a beeline to Thelma’s storefront. She paused only to pay off a policewoman who asked for her papers as soon she made her way outside of the tourist areas. In spite of the fact that this wasn’t a truly critical mission, money wasn’t a problem for her. However, she made sure to negotiate with the policewoman as if it was.

Minutes later, Ellissanthia stood outside of the storefront’s entrance. From her purse, she drew a spray bottle from her purse and spritzed herself down with the moisturizer-infused liquid contained within. Fortunately, with Dahrtag having a perpetually misty climate, the Undine found that she did not need to spray herself down nearly as much as did on other worlds. Nevertheless, by this point doing so was a well-practiced ritual that kept her nerves at bay.

“Hello,” Ellissanthia called out in greeting as she made her way inside, fin-shaped ears twitching in the process. Her eyes swept through the interior as she politely eased the door closed behind her, searching for the artisan who might very well hold the key to her new skin.

 

[Thelma Goth]

Thelma was standing out among the racks. Not all of her output was custom-fitted; she also sold her share of premade clothes. She probably could have hired someone to hang them up for display, but perhaps out of habit or a desire for some exercise, she was doing the work herself.

A soft chime announced that the door had opened. Though she had given a set time at which she would arrive, Thelma would have known Ellissanthia by her measurements alone. Not many of her clients were so strikingly shaped. So when a petite and pear-shaped woman entered her shop, it wasn't hard to guess who it was.

"Hello. You must be Ellissanthia." Thelma bowed her head in greeting. "I am Thelma."

The two women were of the same modest height, though where Ellissanthia had a voluptuous build, Thelma was slender and waifish. She wore a dress made of pale purple velvet, draped and cinched flatteringly over her slight frame and decorated with Tyrian roses. Naturally, she had sewed it herself.

"I am happy to work with you," she said, then added, "And I must say, that is a lovely outfit you're wearing today." Compliments were a good way to break the ice, she had found. "Now, you said you wanted a hyper-realistic Jedi costume, correct?"

She was hoping that Ellissanthia would take it from there and tell her exactly what she wanted. But few of her clients were like that, unfortunately. Instead, the vast majority had to be plied with questions about the details - and more often than not, they didn't know what they really wanted. Sometimes getting to make all the creative decisions herself was fun, but she did get a little tired of being told "I trust your judgment" over and over again. As if she could somehow know what a complete stranger would like better than they knew themselves...

Ellissanthia​

 

[Ellissanthia]

Location: Lamont - Dahrtag
Attire: X
Notable Equipment: Nox M-10 "Wraith" (Concealed) │ Dermal Hydration Underlay
Direct Engagement: Thelma Goth

Ellissanthia offered Thelma a courteous smile after she returned her greeting, at which point the Undine made her way towards the racks, stopping just a few feet short so as to give the tailor her space. All the while, her eyes wandered towards the various textiles on display, including a few that she immediately recognized as luxurious Dahrtagian dreamsilk. A material famous for being virtually weightless, highly resistant to energy weapons, and well-insulated against temperature extremes.

“Thank you,” Ellissanthia replied to Thelma’s compliment, her features lighting up even as her smile remained poised and measured. “I tried my best to dress in accordance with the local fashions, though I fear that I might have overlooked certain nuances.” She added, her eyes meeting Thelma’s similarly violet-hued gaze in the process. And indeed, the Undine too noted that they were both of virtually identical stature, albeit contrasted by strikingly different physiques. She knew that attempting to fit in each other's clothes would have been a comical exercise in futility, but an idle thought made her wonder if they might at least share the same shoe or glove size.

Ellissanthia blinked then, remembering that the woman probably didn’t have webbed digits.

"Now, you said you wanted a hyper-realistic Jedi costume, correct?"

“Yes, that is—” Ellissanthia cut herself off suddenly, before her eyes flickered around the area, scanning for other shoppers. They appeared to be alone, but she wanted to be sure of it. In that, the Undine thought to extend her metaphysical senses to feel for the presence of other people in the building, but she quickly decided against that course of action. Force-sensitivity wasn’t rare, and she knew that by using the Force even minutely, she risked revealing herself.

“I’m sorry. Are we alone?”

 

[Thelma Goth]

"I appreciate the effort," Thelma said happily, deducing that Ellissanthia had probably read her book about Dahrtagian fashion. "You fit right in."

“I’m sorry. Are we alone?”

Thelma blinked. "No one else is here right now," she replied. Then, lowering her voice to a more intimate volume, she asked, "Is this a secret project?"

She did think it was somewhat odd, but she was still willing to give her new client the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps the custom costume was meant to be a surprise. She was quick to offer a solution.

"We can go in my office, if you'd like more privacy. Right this way." She gestured and turned around, heading deeper into the shop.

Past the racks of clothing, a small room was sectioned off. It contained Thelma's office - well, if you could call the small desk and chair in the corner an office, that is. Most of the space was devoted to her work. Bolts of colorful fabric lay stacked on the shelves, while glass cabinets showcased spools of thread; drawers contained spare parts for both the antique and modern sewing machines which stood in the center of the room, and tiny pincushions full of needles and pins covered every available surface, ready to be used at a moment's notice. The curtains were drawn over the windows, but a few electric lights provided a warm, relaxing glow.

"Here we are." Thelma went over to the little desk and picked up her sketchpad. "I hope you don't mind - I took the liberty of sketching out a few basic ideas based on your requests." She showed Ellissanthia the drawings. "These are based on traditional Jedi robes. If you're going the ultra traditional route, they would be made from heavy wool or coarseweave. Not the most comfortable fabric, but I can line the inside with something softer." With her light green complexion, Ellissanthia would probably look good in blue or a dark purple. Jedi usually wore earth tones, but if Thelma could talk her out of going with such boring colors, she would. Far too many people in the galaxy spent most of their lives wearing browns and beiges...

"As for covering your ears, I have one sketch here with a simple headscarf, and one with a more ornate headdress inspired by Naboo fashions. I wasn't sure how elaborate you wanted this costume to be, so here's how it could go either way."

Ellissanthia​

 

[Ellissanthia]

Location: Lamont - Dahrtag
Attire: X
Notable Equipment: Nox M-10 "Wraith" (Concealed) │ Dermal Hydration Underlay
Direct Engagement: Thelma Goth

Ellissanthia offered a slight nod in response to Thelma’s question as to whether or not the project was meant to be secret. If that was not enough to convey her answer, the subtle arch of her eyebrows made it clear. Yes, it is.

Fortunately, it seemed that the tailor had gleaned her meaning. Ellissanthia allowed herself a soft, almost imperceptible sigh of relief as she followed the woman deeper into the shop, before being ushered into her private office. Once inside, the Undine briefly surveyed the space. Satisfied that they were alone, she followed Thelma to her desk and drew a datapad from her purse. However, she waited before turning on the device, listening intently as the tailor displayed her concept drawings, causing her gaze to widen with equal parts surprise and awe.

“I...yes, actually.” Ellissanthia began, nearly stumbling over her words as she drew her eyes away from the designs. “The traditional route is my plan. But perhaps not ultra-traditional.” She clarified. “The robes are exceptional. For those, I would prefer a dark purple. I intend to retain my natural skin color for the costume, but I will be wearing gold Pantoran tattoos. Oh, and my hair is going to be dyed, as well.” The Undine added.

From there, Thelma presented the concept drawings of the head pieces that were meant to cover her ears. Ellissanthia studied them both, her eyes narrowing as she quietly weighed her options.

“Aesthetically, I prefer the headscarf,” she admitted. “However, I am more concerned with the piece’s ability to stay in place under heavy movement and simulated combat. If the headdress would be better for that, then that will be my choice. It is paramount that my ears stay covered throughout the entire performance, from every conceivable angle.”

Ellissanthia turned on her datapad then, its screen illuminating her features as she turned it to show Thelma a curated selection of headscarf designs.

“I will also require gloves, cut to accommodate and conceal the webbing between my fingers.” She added, before raising her hands to show them.

 

[Thelma Goth]

Thelma smiled to herself at Ellissanthia's awestruck approval. She sewed because she liked it, but she also enjoyed making people happy.

Though Ellissanthia did have some changes she wanted to make. Thelma nodded and began to take notes. "A simple headscarf can be pinned or clipped in place," she agreed. It would certainly be easier and faster to complete a simple headscarf, if less fun. But she could always reuse the headdress idea for another client. Or make it for herself.

As for the fabric, Thelma recalled seeing Ellissanthia eyeing a dress on the racks made from Dahrtagian dreamsilk. Genuine dreamsilk was more luxurious than would befit a Jedi, but cheaper weaves did exist. She could use something which looked and felt the same, without the price tag or guilt.

Besides, it was only for a costume. It didn't need to be resistant to blaster bolts or lightsabers, right?

Ellissanthia​