Come Into My Parlour.... [Asuka, Paper Dolls]
The day Kureno had officially been reinstated as a jounin - like, officially officially, not in-name-only - was the day Asuka had promised to take him out somewhere fancy. He'd named the place, and she'd made the reservation only a day or two later for a month in advance: the first Saturday of September. It was at a set time, a set day, a set place
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Asuka's relief was palpable as she went back for the bindings, swiftly winding every thing back up with speed from years of experience. As soon as everything was tucked back where it belonged, the relief became even more obvious, her posture becoming more relaxed as the shirt and the jeans were also shrugged back on. The clothing was almost like armor, each layer another layer of comfort between her and the awkward, forbidding world of the Paper Doll's shop.
It also helped her think a little more about what exactly she was doing, rather than oh gawd what am I doing?!. By the time she stepped off the stool and poked her head out of the dressing room to look for Izume again, she'd come up with a very important question that it was better to ask now then find out about later.
"How long will it take you to make this?" she asked.
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Most of the selection was for all-day wear, meaning the outfit could be worn at any time from morning until the sun set, with slightly less evening wear. Izume considered the choices with due seriousness, dismissing them for various reasons. Too short. Too tight. Too impractical over all. No back; Asuka wouldn't want to display the tattoo. Don't want strapless, tank top, or halter top--that ANBU tattoo needs to be covered. Perhaps an off-the-shoulder...? Wrong shoulder. She'll need something that covers the left.The more she looked, the more she found parts that would be acceptable but had one or more grievous flaws. Definitely special-made, but she had some better ideas with which to begin ( ... )
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Ten days. Asuka was giving her ten days to design and make an outfit, assuming Izume had the fabrics she needed in the shop. And this on top of other special orders, the shop-running, and Tsurude-sama's work.
Most special orders could take a month minimum unless customers were willing to pay considerably more to make up for the money she wouldn't be making by not working on current orders. Most people couldn't afford the higher price, therefore forcing them to decide if they really needed the outfit that fast, or if they wanted to go elsewhere. The increase was in place for other reasons, mostly to do with the fact that while Izume liked doing special orders for the job well done as well as customer satisfaction, she did not want to give up her free time for rushed jobs. She counted it as overtime and charged accordingly for herself as well as Kochan, because rush orders needed more than one person working on a project. And now, with the Hokage having hired ( ... )
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Very well; she could adjust, she could adapt. (At the very least, they would be paid well over the expected amount.) She would get what she wanted from Asuka, come hell, or high water.
But she wouldn't let Asuka see the disappointment. Even if Izume had been looking forward to a good round of haggling. "Very well," she replied after a period of not-feigned internal deliberation, "though I should tell you that the price I quoted is more of an estimate than an exact figure."
She then went onto explain about the fabrics and how change in price was mostly dependent on what she had in stock and what she had to order if necessary, as the delivery would take time that frankly Asuka hadn't given her much of in the first place. "I hope you haven't waited this long to make the reservations at wherever you're going."
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She handed the little clipboard to Izume - all the measurements noted down in the table, as well as a quick sketch of all the scars and tattoos.
And then, just because, she eeled back, not quite 'accidentally' brushing across Asuka.
"You know, Izu-kun," she said thoughtfully, "Don't each of the restaurants kinda... have a different sort of... dress code? Very subtle," she assured Asuka, "But it can be quite telling."
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"It's been made," came the defensive reply. "That's why I know when I need the dress by." Otherwise she wouldn't have bothered telling them a date. Did that not seem obvious or something?
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"Just making sure, sempai~" Izume almost sang. "After all, this being a new experience for you. Only a fool would leave such little details to chance~" Like not knowing the name of the place they're going to. Izume didn't have to say it; the implication was enough.
Asuka had to know the name of the restaurant; otherwise how would she be so confident as to the state of the reservation? Izume knew she wouldn't get the answer now; she accepted that. But Asuka would have to come back for fittings, and once she did... Well. "So, we'll see you back in, say, four days?"
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"Half now, then," she said, pushing away from the wall and digging her wallet out of her back pocket. "And in four days you can tell me how much this'll really cost."
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"Come in at..." she glanced to Izume, "Five, in four days."
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Asuka surrendered her credit, imagining all the little ones and zeros flying away as Kotetsu rang up half the estimated cost. It was an awful lot of money to place on what was, for all extents and purposes, nothing more than a bet, but the paper dolls were confident. They felt confident, which was a lot different from acting confident, and surely they would have been eaten alive by now if they weren't capable of living up to their promises. She had no idea how long they'd had this shop, but it must have been long enough. Asuka would just have to have faith that they'd come through with something decent, if not spectacular ( ... )
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