Come Into My Parlour.... [Asuka, Paper Dolls]

[asuka_sensei]

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

Comments

[little_metal]

Kotetsu was working on the accounts - she almost always was, they crept up on her and multiplied every time she wasn't looking! - at the cash register, under the cute little awning Izume'd set up, so that she could keep an eye on the store while she nibbled at the end of her brush.

So the repairs for kitchenette sink, together with the new racks that were so prettily coordinated and so easy to move around on their smooth, quiet wheels counter balanced with the month's takings... Hmm. There was enough to cover the overheads for the month, the 20% she insisted on putting into savings, and the rest... Maybe it was actually time to actually start looking into the parquet flooring that Izume was dying for

[asuka_sensei]

Hmmm, seemed empty. Maybe the store was really closed after al

[ima_paperdoll]

...was coming up from the side.

She knew better than to come up from behind. Asuka was ANBU, and ANBU (with some exceptions like a certain prank-spoiling cat) tended to be considerably more twitchy than their jounin or chuunin counterparts. Izume had a healthy respect for Sarutobi Asuka and a healthier desire to remain among the upright and breathing with her blood (amongst other things) still inside her skin.

"Well, good evening to you, Asuka-san," she smiled. The other woman sounded so dispirited. Izume chose to guess it had simply been a long day for Asuka, nothing more

[asuka_sensei]

And there she was.

Asuka nervously edged further into the store as Izume circled around her like a predator circling prey. There was something distinctly unnerving about Izume doing that, about knowing that Izume - if she'd kept in shape - could possibly kick her ass right now, and above and beyond that, that Asuka was currently in Izume's territory. Frightening territory, full of sparkly jewelry and makeup and clothing. This was not her territory at all. Why, oh why couldn't she have just kept to window shopping?

Now trapped between the two Paper Dolls, the oldest of the three kunoichi shoved her hands in her pockets and managed a nervous bored shrug that didn't quite cover her nervousness. "Just... looking around."

[asuka_sensei]

"Dinner," she replied, twitching despite Izume's attempt to not get herself stabbed and eyeing Kotetsu's coyness suspiciously. She had no idea where the White Swallow was or what sort of dresses you wore there, but little black dress sounded about right. "I guess little black dress fits it. Just not too little."

[ima_paperdoll]

Izume laughed. Quietly, but with a touch of 'I have you now'. "How little or how not little depends on a few things. In any event, you need to come with me to the dressing room. If I'm to find the best dress for you, I need to see what's beneath the t-shirt and jeans," she added when Asuka just stared/glared at her for even suggesting she might go deeper into the store.

[asuka_sensei]

......... what?

Asuka's expression shifted from the suspicious uncertainty that had plagued her since she'd regretfully walked into the store, to suddenly surprise and 'oh hell no.'

"You want me to what?"

[little_metal]

Strip~ Kotetsu's filthy little mind sang. Oh yeah, that'd be cool...

Only ... Dressing room. Right.

Kotetsu ostentiously tidied up the already-tidy fans, and surreptitiously fanned herself.

[asuka_sensei]

Oh thank all the little gods. That statement couldn't come fast enough.

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.

[ima_paperdoll]

While Kochan measured Asuka, Izume was perusing the floor selection. In comparison to the average dressmaker or clothing store, the Paper Dolls held considerably less. But as Izume liked to think, what they lacked in quantity they more than made up in quality.

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

[asuka_sensei]

"Two weeks," she replied, sliding out of the dressing room, before amending, "well, no. Slightly less than. Twelve days, if you count today."

[ima_paperdoll]

Which Izume didn't count as she lifted her head to stare at Asuka.

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