echoesofcoral

[echoesofcoral]

"Well that's good at least." Last thing they wanted was to see someone who was still so young suffer. At the very least Suletta's safety was all that mattered in their mind. Especially for someone that went through something similar to Raven.

"Any good dreams? Or am I overstepping myself again."

☆ "Oh, 621!" It was a bit of a relief that so many familiar faces from her previous stay in the city were still around. Suletta had problems making new friends even though she seemed sociable. She actually had a lot of social anxiety that she had only recently started to improve with.

"Well... It wasn't really either of those things. To me it was like I just took a really long nap..." Nothing had changed back home as far as she knew. She was still about to confront Ericht and her mother.

[echoesofcoral]

"It's unique." Almost too unique. They felt like a completely different person with this on. Like the words of that pink haired individual suggesting books all it really took was just looking at themselves. And it seemed to pay off, even if they wouldn't really admit it in the moment.

"Still I don't hate it. Though I have the slightest clue where I'd actually wear something like this. I look almost too fashionable."

He waited patiently for the result, then looked them over with appraising eyes. Pointing a finger forward positively, he answered, "That is a nice start. What I would do to improve it, now..." He closed the distance between them and tugged the shawl, currently bunched up around the shoulders, down over their arms. Spread out toward their elbows, it resembled draping sleeves over the form-fitting inner's.

"There! It shouldn't limit your movement, and makes it look like those wings are now your own! The ends hanging down over your hips are already perfect. How do you feel?"

[echoesofcoral]

"I'll be sure to keep it in mind if I see it show up..." They had a feeling Kyrie was right. Where would they even consume any of their food or drink anything? Sure even robotic creatures had to keep themselves going somehow but not usually through normal "human" methods.

"But I'd love a cup of tea. Especially one that smells that good."

Tea wasn't their first choice of drink but on a day like today it just felt right. Otherwise they'd just be off drinking water or something else and really ruin the vibe.

They stared at Raven with great interest for a moment, wondering briefly if they were privy to forbidden knowledge Kyrie hadn't discovered yet. "I don't think they can even bite it! Right? If you've ever seen them eating something with those tablet heads, I really hope you have a video."

Kyrie was a little too fond of the little (and big) guys, and that concept sounded both potentially scary and cute. Would they just absorb things into their screens? Open a secret mouth compartment somewhere?

Picking up a teapot from the assortment of picnic items, they lifted the lid and sniffed it. "Oh, I love the smell of jasmine tea. Do you want a cup?"

[echoesofcoral]

"Suletta? Your actually here?" For awhile 621 was pretty sure they had just fallen off the face of the city. Or according to other people may have found her way back home. But there was no denying that very bright red hair in the distance. Even if they never really spoke too often.

"I thought you had gotten back to your own world safely. Or you know...something worse."

@mercurywitch

[echoesofcoral]

"I'll look my best then." Or at least try to. At worst this will all be a fashion disaster and at best there could be some fun involved in trying to look their best.

Although "doing their best modeling" might be a tall order for someone who didn't know the first thing about modeling at all. Regardless after some time they finally decided to step out of the room, outfit on and shawl styled as best as they could. Doubtful they'd win any rewards but it didn't look as awful as many might've expected.

"Well, any thoughts? Advice and the like?"

"Ah! Would you? I'd love to see the product of my imagination come to life!" Clearly enthralled with the idea, Hiyori made to hand off the other clothing items he'd selected to them.

"I believe there's a room or two by the registers. And if you struggle with styling the shawl properly, I'd be happy to assist you with that after you're out!" He gestured in the direction he meant to suggest.

"Do your best modeling and I'll buy them for you☆ Or at least pitch in; whatever you may be comfortable with. I simply put my money where my mouth is."

[echoesofcoral]

"He certainly knows his stuff." The voice in their head flickered for a moment as if to just provide their own input too. Even following them around and listening to what he had to say was somewhat overwhelming. Not enough that everything was going into one ear and out another but some things were definitely falling out.

"All together you are right, I can't argue that it all meshes pretty well." More than they could ever pick out that was for sure. Inevitably this could lead to an entire wardrobe or better, not having to pick out the same rags everyday.

"Though I guess I should try all of these on right? Rather then just keep doing it like this."

"With the shawl, I'd have to say..." Hiyori paused, stepped back up to a clothing rack, and began to push aside two hangers at a time. Shortly, he pulled out a fitted black 3/4 sleeve shirt.

"Something like this underneath, to show off the form of your body without clashing with the more dramatic style of the shawl. And as I mentioned earlier, you could hold the shawl in place over it with a belt, like one over here."

He gestured briefly for them to follow him, not that there was far to go. There was a rack of belts on display he stopped in front of and deftly plucked off a thin belt, one the same shade as the white spots on the shawl.

"A combination to please the eye, in my opinion."

[echoesofcoral]

"Do I now? That's certainly a first."

For better or for worse they never found themselves being a model in the slightest. Maybe it was the fact every mission they came back from involved smelling like gunpowder and rust. Or that being photogenic wasn't really in their resume either. If it fit and didn't feel too warm or cold then the clothes were more then fine.

..At least all of it still beat a pilot suit.

"Never thought of myself as a real colorful looking person. Though I'm sure you are right in some color bringing out the rest of everything. Anything in particular with the shawl that'd work well? Or is it something we're going to start from scratch."

"It's nice to meet you, Raven. You provide an interesting canvas to paint upon! You could make both traditionally masculine and feminine looks work. Is there any preference when it comes to that, or should we experiment first?"

He simply nodded to acknowledge their displayed lack of ear piercings. It wasn't a problem; it was a possibility. "If you do ever want to accessorize, there is much you can accomplish with even one ear piercing. Something you can just clasp on yourself like a necklace or a bracelet is less trouble than helping a piercing heal correctly, though." While he had nothing in them at the moment, both of Hiyori's earlobes had telltale holes in them.

"My initial impression is that brilliant blues and reds would look exceptional on you. I believe the shawl proves one of those!"

[echoesofcoral]

haven't done one of these for a long while here but here's a starter call for lil' ol Raven! Looking for some new interactions so I'll cap it at 3 for now but if you've interacted before feel free to still hit the like!

[echoesofcoral]

"...Raven. Ready to be advised in fashion sense." Oddly not the worst thing they were tutored in but it was certainly a subject matter they had little to no knowledge in whatsoever. And Hiyori seemed very eager to help get them on the right path.

"They aren't no." A quick brush back of their hair told the entire story, nothing substantial at all beyond the usual permanent scaling.

"But then again I never really had any time before here to think about what would work best on me. Fashion was not something I had the freedom of picking."

"I'm glad you asked. ♪" With a hand loosely at his chest, he proudly claimed, "Hiyori Tomoe will be your personal advisor for today! While you would be even better served if my friend Arashi was here to assist me, we can cover plenty of ground on our own."

He'd already thought about it, and he would've loved for Arashi to stroll through the scenic Opalarian Market Town with him. It was still better for her to (presumably) be back home with her unit.

"Do you have any ideal in mind for yourself? I can make suggestions without one, but I do wonder what you might like to "look good" in." Angling his head from one side to the other, he posed another question. "By the way, are your ears pierced? I can't see well past your hair, but you can do a lot with very little there."

[echoesofcoral]

"That's convenient honestly. Especially managing to keep all of that in there without too much of a mess."

Although food tasting was not something they were pretty good with. Sure Raven knew what certain types of food tasted like, and ones that just didn't sit well in their stomach. But how different "Spirale Food" was about to be tested with their prior knowledge...

"Not even a little bit?" They were hungry but the creature seemed eager to have part of it as well. "Can they just not digest it? Or is it just a rule set in place here."

Kyrie nodded. "It's this cool thing I bought, a "Pre-packednic," from one of the special ATMs." Regardless of whether they had a real name, that was what they called them. "It's supposed to work over and over again, somehow. Today you'll get to test it out yourself."

They knelt down on the corner of the blanket as a Netpup wandered over, curious about the tiny alteration to its environment. It hovered its monitor around as if sniffing at things, and Kyrie smiled at it. "Too bad we can't feed them anything."

[echoesofcoral]

"Good! Then its a partnership in the works."

Not that they had any doubts sending messages back and forth when timer permitted. Free time was the world's biggest killer for anyone who didn't know how to properly balance it out. Which just so happened to be them at least for the moment.

"I'll uh...keep funny shaped cracks in mind. I tend to have a knack for finding things that people may not have noticed at first."

Granted that was back on the battlefield but those skills tended to translate decently well back in the real world.

"Hell maybe it'll be an animal too."

Huh, so Raven was someone who'd been around for a while. Even then, it was completely understandable to be overwhelmed by the idea of picking up new hobbies in a new world. They seemed capable and open-minded enough, though; from his own experience, Vash knew that Golden had been something of an endless supply of people and activity. Hopefully it wouldn't overwhelm them!

"Oh, I love keepin' penpals! Sure, sign me up for that." After contact info is exchanged between the two, Vash is still beaming with joy, delighted to have made a new friend.

"Message me whenever, Raven. Even if it's just to send me a picture of a funny-shaped crack on the sidewalk or something. Never really sure how long we have to do all this explorin', so we might as well give it our all, right?"

[echoesofcoral]

"Color?" Considering they were pretty devoid of that it probably wouldn't hurt to consider adding some brightness onto them. Even if it was something small that they could strap onto themselves. Maybe it would help them finally understand why people painted their ships all bright as hell...

"Could you do that? The whole "bringing out" my fashion potential. Can't say I ever knew where to start. So maybe now that you are here there's actually stepping stones for me to follow."

"Modeling skill has its time and place! While it might be entertaining if you struck a pose, looking natural is enough for a time like this." Hiyori hummed pleasantly as he stepped over beside them and tossed the shawl over their shoulders. After only adjusting it enough to make it even, he stepped back and looked them over.

"Lovely! The color and pattern brings out a side of you those dark clothes don't. It would look stylish secured around your arms with a knot behind your back, or around your torso with a belt. Adding a bit more color elsewhere would bring out even more of your potential." He was already mentally entertaining ways to do so.

[echoesofcoral]

"W-Would it really?" Really the situation just felt a little odd to them. While the shawl did seem somewhat nice looking on them it felt there was a better owner. At least one who could wear it and not look so off putting. Still it was someone else's suggestion...so maybe they were onto something.

"I mean I'm willing to try it on if you think so. Just don't expect any real model quality though..."

"You! You must try this on. I insist."

Currently in a small outdoor shopping section of the Opalarian Market Town, Hiyori held a shawl up by the hanger it was draped over. Thin and lovely, the fabric resembled the wings of a blue butterfly.

"I know it won't suit me, and the friends I have that it might aren't here, but it may just look fantastic on you." He was kind of fascinated by their uncommon look — enough to want to accessorize them.

@echoesofcoral

[echoesofcoral]

"Yeah I think that's my next step. At least until something big happens."

Given how strange the city was that seemed pretty likely. Maybe not anything too catastrophic but it felt as if no matter where they went someone or something was going awfully wrong.

"And they gave me an apartment out in the Golden Ward? Think that's what it was called. I guess there might've been some people there before I arrived but now its just...empty." Unless they just had an apartment all to themselves now. Would've been a strange welcoming gift but not the worst one ever.

"Still if your busy you don't need to come on by. Hell I'd probably be more likely to send you a message if I actually find something to keep me busy."

"Real exciting spot to be put in, right?" The possibilities are invigorating! To Vash, at least. Sunniness soon affected by self-consciousness for how he might be imposing on Raven, he tries to slow himself down: "Challenging, also. Well, you could narrow things down to what's around you, if goin' out n'about isn't taxing...?

"What Ward'd the Stars put you in, anyhow? I'm residin' a ways out from here, in Umber, but I'll take trips closer to the big city sometimes, like today."

In other words, he couldn't quite be Raven's daily walk buddy, but Vash hoped that the enthusiasm indicated that he easily considered them a friend worth keeping company. Even being pen pals with someone was harmless, besides.

[echoesofcoral]

"Spring is coming which means I should probably get something new on then all dark clothes. Any suggestions or should I just wing it?"

[echoesofcoral]

"Is this customary or something?"

[echoesofcoral]

this was necessary