work [[tag to Faramir, ota]]

[aibileen]

Aibileen's in her alteration shop, working on some things for Angel. Summer's coming, and the baby (not a baby, but her baby) needs altered short sleeve shirts and tank tops. Even a swimming suit. She's humming while she works, keeping her mind off of other things. Thinking about how it's crawfish season and she wants to have a boil. She's not sure

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[faramir_hurin]

I've considered for some time having some things made. When I bought the fancy modern suit, the store fitted it, but these would be new items like things from home. I smile as I walk into the shop, knowing that the owner will be skilled. I'm wearing modern clothes, but I have the items in question--and several of them already have patterns from when Garak was here.

"Good morning. I have more work for you, if you're not too busy already."

[aibileen]

Aibileen smiles to see Faramir, putting down a small shirt. "Never too busy for you. Just workin' on some things for Miss Angel. Needs room for her wings."

She stands up. "What do you have for me?"

[faramir_hurin]

"I've spend long enough here that it does not even sound too strange to hear that." I know Angel, or I did. The Joker forced her to do terrible things.

"My clothing from home--I would like copies made. At least several of the shirts and the tunic. I have patterns for them from a tailor who was here before." I smile slightly. "Several of the trousers, though I don't have a pattern for those."

The doublet is leather and I don't need another. The village has supplied me with court clothing for some reason, perhaps thinking that it was better for me to wear to Koscuisko's party instead of the modern suit or ranger gear.

[aibileen]

Aibileen nods, then sizes him up a little, pants wise. "Might have to take some measurements, but nothin' sounds too hard, Mister Faramir. How soon you need everything?"

[faramir_hurin]

"I understand the need for measurements. At home, everything is made for me." There are no items to be bought in the stores. "I can show you what I have so you can pattern from that."

I don't know how she works, or how any tailor or seamstress works, really.

"I don't need them at any particular time. Whenever you are finished." I look about. "Where do I choose fabric?"

Not that I need anything fancy. Simple linen for the shirts and wool for the tunics and trousers. Or something close.

[aibileen]

Aibileen's laid back and easy going. At least she hopes so. Leading him around to a room behind an open door takes him to rolls over every kind of color and texture he could want.

"Village did good by me," she explains. "Half this stuff...ain't even sure I'll ever have a need to use, but it's here."

[faramir_hurin]

She has more kinds of fabric than I'm used to seeing. I have to adjust my thoughts to what I'm used to.

"You know more about it than I ever will." So many colours and patterns, and me looking for the plainest things. "Have you undyed linen, or something like that?"

I can see things that look like they would be good for the tunics. I never considered before how close that colour was to what they wear in the modern army.

[aibileen]

Taking him to a section she thinks might be fitting, Aibileen shows him the plain cloth. "This is the sturdiest, I think. Holds up good in weather, too. What we used to make our clothes out of. The cheapest, folks didn't want cheap."

White folks, she means. They wanted colorful and expensive, but expensive doesn't always mean long lasting.

[faramir_hurin]

I look through the things she has shown me.

"I need sturdy and... natural. I do not know if these things will come home with me." They cannot be anything that will catch notice. "The price matters not, expensive or cheap. I need it to be durable and warm, like what I have. It will get very dirty from fighting in, even just training."

I do not need fine anything for these garments.

"What strange people to want something simply because it is expensive. I suppose we must have people like that in Gondor, I'm just not aware of it." Then again, some of my own things are fine as well. "The village brought court clothing for me, like from home only I had never seen it before. There was a party, now it will hang in my closet and wait."

Useless. I could have worn my ranger things or the modern suit.

[aibileen]

"Finest things I have are to go to church in, and I sure as you can bet can't afford those things at home. Ladies get tired of wearin' something or they think it ain't in anymore, then it's good enough for us."

She starts picking out things, simple and durable, warm and yet breathable. "People back home want what they think make 'em look rich."

Especially Miss Hilly.

[faramir_hurin]

"The finest things I have are court wear, and they're also the most uncomfortable. Except for armour." That was worse, but not technically clothes either.

"Why would they want to look rich? Does that not invite robbers?" I would think so. "I never considered looking rich, though it doesn't matter what I look like since all of the people know who I am anyway."

No matter what I wear, I'm still the same person.

"My modern things are bought because they look the most like what I'm comfortable in back home. Father has finer things, though he's not got anything modern yet."

[aibileen]

Aibileen likes Faramir, he gets it, and she smiles to herself. "All they care about is who look like they got the most money. Those ladies all about status, don't care much about robbers. Well, they think we stealin' if anything."

[faramir_hurin]

That has me completely confused.

"Why would you steal anything? I'd never look at our staff if something went missing--they've been working for my family for generations, most of them." They are some of the best, most loyal people in the land. "What a strange place you live, though I suppose it must be peaceful if all the ladies have to worry about is what they look like."

It's not quite the modern world.

"My clothing is dull, best to blend in the forest." As told by the dull brown and green I choose, almost exactly like what I already have.

[aibileen]

"'Cause we're a different color, Mister Faramir. So we ain't as good. You ever learn about slavery in America? I'll tell you about it some day. Long history, even when we weren't slaves anymore."

She shakes her head. "Only peaceful for the people not gettin' killed." She goes quiet for a second, just measuring, cutting fabric before she nods.

"Makes sense then, I think I can have everything for you in a couple weeks."

[faramir_hurin]

"I've heard about it but I haven't really read anything to explain it. I know people with light skin say that people with dark are a different race, though that does not make sense to me. Where I come from, people of different races are Dwarves or Elves. Or orcs."

Not humans with different skin.

"Then again, of my closest friends here, one had dark skin and the other grey--I counted them as brothers. My lady Glaurnaneth was gold." Richard and Garak weren't fully human any more than Glaurnaneth was.

"They kill them for their skin colour. That makes me angry." It's stupid and wasteful--they're the same people of the same land. "Pardon, Richard did say about me once that I had a chronic good-guy thing. Those were his words. And he was the one with the dark skin."

For a moment I just miss him very much. I'll see him again one day.

"That seems a reasonable time. Should I come back or will you give me a message when they're ready?"

[aibileen]

Aibileen doesn't say anything else about it. She's not sure if she wants to talk about her son. Sometimes it still hurts too much. But Faramir's a good man, she knows.

"I can message you, it's no trouble at all." Then, she starts thinking about her earlier idea.

"Mister Faramir, how long'd you say you been in the village?"