[S/C] Threading Beauty

[Saber]

Do you believe in ghosts?

The sun was a glimmering distant orange orb in the unreachable distance, its spherical shape slowly lowering down to the horizon as the day steadily came to a close. The Assassin sat in a comfortable chair just off to the side of a small table, alone. He sipped at a cup of hot chocolate and nibbled at a warm, freshly baked cookie as he sat. It wasn’t winter, but the air was a bit chilly on this night so Saber elected on something hot to drink and something warm for a snack while he relaxed. The nice ladies who worked in the little café beneath him happily obliged, sending up his request without much question. The lonely and weird Assassin was a regular costumer for them, and knowing his rules of distance, they left him alone at his table after he had made his order. The Assassin paid his waitress right as she brought him his items and after that, she never came back up. That was okay. Saber was content with what he had and when he was finished, he would simply leave just as quietly as he had arrived.

Though, he would be spending quite a bit of time in his chair so he made himself comfortable. It had been quite some time since he had returned to the café for a bit of goodies. The quiet time he was now getting was something he believed was well deserved. His mind was tired and his body hurt in a few places because of the strain he had put on it, both feelings leaving him extremely fatigued. Saber had grown so used to fighting constantly and put himself under high amounts of stress around the clock, and that made it so whenever he rested he was always in some kind of pain. Not only that, but Saber was finding himself more and more tired sooner and sooner the longer he fought. Fighting so hard for so long was taking its toll, and soon Saber was going to have to return to being just a regular adventurer, unless he took breaks. If he did that then his body would get the rest it needed and his mind would be able to recover.

Saber sipped from his hot chocolate again and sunk into his chair, letting his entire body almost go limp as he placed his cup down on the table. He wouldn’t say that he was living the high life, but Saber was happy with where he now was. He had hit the max level allowed and was able to live any life he wanted with ease. Fighting wasn’t entirely necessary anymore and if he really wanted to, Saber didn’t have to fight at all. He could just lay around underground and craft things all day long. It was as simple as that. Though, he probably would get bored if he did such a thing. Saber was a warrior, not some hermit even though he acted more like a hermit now. At the thought, a smirk crossed Saber’s face.

“A hermit, eh?” The Assassin glanced over to the right, his eyes gazng out towards a distant mountain range. Maybe, just maybe, being a hermit wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Unfortunately he didn’t get to think too deeply into it; the door he had believed would remain closed for his entire time at the café suddenly opened. Out from within, one of the waitresses from the floor walked out onto the rooftop. She glanced directly over to the left and stared right at Saber. Just as she spotted the lonely player, another waitress popped out and attempted to coerce the first back inside. She didn’t answer and simply walked over to where Saber was sitting. The Assassin turned his head away and stared out towards the sun, his ears taking in the sounds of the woman’s heels to calculate her distance from him. When she was finally beside his table, Saber heard a sharp inhale.

“E-excuse me, Sir…” The voice was oddly soft for the woman who had just, ever so boldly, strutted over to him with determination burning in her eyes. Was Saber really that intimidating? He thought of himself as something comparable to a slug, for heaven’s sake.

“Hm?” Saber turned his eyes over to the woman and her eyes instantly diverted. Her blonde hair protected her face as she looked down. Her hands were clutched together, her fingers entwined, and her arms were shaking a little. She gnawed at her lip, probably holding back her foolish words as she formed together a better statement. What, was she going to ask him to party up with her? If so then he could understand why she was a little afraid. Though, she didn’t need to be. Saber would gladly help someone who asked for his assistance, as long as they asked.

“Do… do you know of a good crafter?” What? Saber’s initial reaction was to spit out of surprise, as he had expected something completely different, but he held it in and simply stared at the woman. She needed a crafter and funnily enough, she was looking at one. Of course that was a trade secret. Saber’s crafting classes were known by a few as some scholars could view his hidden display, however he was never seen once in public crafting anything. How he leveled the classes was a mystery.

“What’s the job?” Saber responded calmly, leaning back in his chair as he prompted the woman to continue. She didn’t at first and simply mumbled something. After a bit of stuttering, she finally got it out. What Saber heard explained everything.

“I… I ripped my outfit and I need a new one… It’s my armor for leveling and I kind of tore it while changing a few nights ago… Now I can’t go out and level. I have it if you want to see it! But I.. uh.. erm.. It’s a little embarrassing.” Saber’s interest was piqued and he furrowed his eyebrows as he glanced over towards the woman. He turned in his chair, rotating it to face her and then crossed his hands neatly on the table.

“Let me take a look. Depending on what it is, I may know someone.” Being a crafter, as well as a being with multiple classes in his repertoire, he would be able to tend to whatever the woman had. The only question would be what class he needed. The woman in front of him was a mid-level Assassin, like him, so her armor couldn’t have been anything heavy. If she was like him then she probably had some kind of light mail or even leather, narrowing down his choices. Thankfully her level was low enough so that his Tailoring class would be able to cover her needs.

That was when she showed him her request; Saber cringed. Her armor was a finely woven and intricate pink blouse. It was made of strengthened silk, was sized to fit her curvature, and was accented with several feminine features; pink frills along the neck, a red tint to the silk itself, a flowery design, and even a small butterfly broach was attached to the left shoulder. The shirt completely contradicted the simple look she had on now, which was a very conservative. Her work outfit was a black and white maid dress that hid all of her ‘features’ from the world and covered her body from head to toe. Based on the shirt in front of Saber the woman had quite the large bosom, a trait he couldn’t see very well because of her dress. However, the beauty in the shirt was all but moot when she turned it over. There, right in the middle of the back, was a massive tear in the shirt. It was as if someone had cut it with a violent slash, or she had indeed got the shirt stuck on something and simply tore it apart.

“See…? It got stuck while I was putting it on and ripped apart. I thought of bringing it back to the Tailor who made it but she ran off to Avon last I heard. I don’t know who else to go to now… I figured that you might know since you’re such a high level.” Both of those statements were true. Saber had seen a handful of shops close because of their owners leaving for other cities and Saber did know a lot of other crafters that he could send people to. However, in this case he wanted to deal with things personally. Rather than send the woman to some random Tailor and potentially lose his own reputation, Saber would handle it.

“I do know of one person. Let me have your shirt and I’ll take it to them. When it’s done, I’ll bring it back here. Don’t worry about the fee either, I’ll take care of it.” Saber watched the woman’s level of excitement escalate as he spoke. She looked as if she was going to explode with happiness; that alone was enough for Saber. She thanked him happily, giggled and smiled brightly in pure bliss. All of her stress vanished and was replaced by her overflowing joy. That alone was enough for the Assassin. She wouldn’t ever know that it would be him doing the handiwork, but that was fine.

“Thank you so much, Saber! I am at the shop every day so when you come back, just ask for Eliya. Okay?” Eliya smiled with joy and bowed her head. Saber nodded and accepted the shirt as it was passed to him. After that, the woman turned and hurried back to the entrance, disappearing behind the doorway with the other waitress who was still standing there. Once they were gone, Saber let out a heavy sigh and slouched in his chair.

“One day, Saber… One day…” One day he’d reveal who he was, but that day was quite a ways off. The Assassin was most likely viewed as some kind of weirdo or outcast because of the way he lived and played. Very few people interacted with him and he tended to be avoided in public it seemed. It might have been because of how he looked or the façade he put on, but that was alright. As Saber closed his eyes for a moment, he reminded himself of the path he chose. They could hate him, avoid him, and cast him out of society all they wanted but in the end, it didn’t matter to him. As long as Londinium was still kicking and the sound of joy filled the streets then he’d continue to wear his mask.

“Welp… Let’s get to work.” Saber sat up and gathered up his things. He finished his cookies, downed his hot chocolate, and then returned to the lower level of the café. He left his dishes with the waitress who approached him and then departed, heading back to his shop.

: Word Count :
1827

Coded By Saber of L33T T3@M

[Saber]

Do you believe in ghosts?

Descending into his lair library, Saber made his way over to the large stone table in the center of the underground area. Without so much as a blink, Saber shoved books and papers out of the way to make a space for his tailoring equipment, which wasn’t much. He had a mess already and making it worse wouldn’t change the fact that he would have to clean up his crap one day. That day, was not today. Today he had to make a shirt and so, the only book he pulled close to him was a book for making clothes. As he thumbed over to the index, he opened his menu and pulled out the ripped shirt, summoned forth various different colored silk fabrics, thread, and various needles. With his equipment set, Saber flipped to the instructions in his book and began to read.

Slowly, the Assassin took in the various instructions on the pages as well as the tips in the margins. The previous owner, and the writer, the book was very descriptive and precise with her wordings and made sure to include everything that a beginner Tailor needed to know. One of the things she listed was various types of thread to work with. She listened their strengths, weaknesses, their useful qualities, and even where to get them (of course, somethings were unable to be retrieved anymore because of time shifts). She also noted the best uses for the different threads and what different fabrics were the best ones to combine them with. The next topic she hit on were the fabrics themselves. The author explained what types of fabric were best in different situations, how best to work with the various different materials, and again the best places to find them. Based on his current need, Saber skipped a few portions of the book and opened up the chapter on silks. His client had a silk material for the base of her shirt and there was no doubt that the replacement would have to be the same, so Saber didn’t bother reading the other sections for the moment. He would go back later.

In the section, the author swiftly prompted him to stop. She made him aware of the dangers of working with silk as well as to expect some difficulties with them. She mentioned that Saber, or the reader in general, should pair silk up with other pairs of clothing to make it a lot more comfortable to wear and to only use the specific amount of threads required. Too many would apparently ruin the look of the silk. Saber understood the concepts and he kept the tips in mind as he continued to read. After a few minutes, Saber reached his desired section. The author explained that working with silk was easy with the right amount of materials and that steps should be taken with care. If Saber messed up, the shirt would probably look blotchy and not-so very pretty. He’d need to be careful.

Even so he started to work. Saber gathered up his measuring materials and began to note down the various sizes of the shirt. The waist was thinner than average but the bust needed to be heavily accented. The shoulders were small, the biceps enlarged to allow for freedom, and the back of the shirt was slender. The height of the shirt was a little above average due to the woman having a slightly larger height than most females but it wasn’t by much. What surprised Saber the most about the shirt though, was its simplicity. Aside from the flowery design and the butterfly thing on the shoulder, the shirt itself wasn’t exactly something a noble would wear. Saber wondered if it was because the woman didn’t like to showoff too much, or if it was because the previous tailor didn’t know what they were doing. Of course, Saber didn’t really know either so his job wouldn’t be much better but he would at least try to be a bit better.

Once he had his measurements he began to unravel the red roll of silk. He cut out a slightly larger size than what he needed when it came to the core piece of the shirt and did the same for the shoulders. Then, he cut out a few extra strips of cloth for the hems and seems of the shirt. Using the previous shirt, Saber marked off the various different places on the silk material that needed to be cut down. He also marked cut-off points on the material to show where he had too much material. Using his measuring rope, Saber was able to size up the woman’s waist, bosom, and the limbo area between her chest and hips. It took some time but when he was satisfied, Saber took his fabric scissors and carefully cut along his markings. Then, he took up a piece of read thread and carefully sewed together the torso section of the shirt. As he expected, Saber needed to thread very slowly and carefully to get the stitching correct. He also had to move slowly in order to keep the seam small. He wanted to make it as invisible and unnoticeable as possible, so he used extremely small hoops and twists.

The torso done, Saber unraveled some more material for the shoulders. Following the basic scheme, he created a small arch in the fabric and then domed it, leaving a hole in the core for the arm to fit through. He left a bit of extra space so that it would fit loosely, but he also added a bit of padding to the top of the shoulders. The waitress had mentioned that she would be using the shirt in battle; the padding would add a bit of extra comfort and protection while fighting. The padding was the final piece and very carefully, Saber attached the shoulder piece to the torso. Next, Saber simply created a small cylinder out of the silk and attached it to the other end of the shoulder. Of course, he used the appropriate measures and allowed for extra space just in case. This finished the basic shirt, next was the hard part.

: Word Count :
1032

Coded By Saber of L33T T3@M

-Item Crafted: Cloth Equipment-
Silk Shirt - A basic, dark red silk shirt.

[Saber]

Do you believe in ghosts?

With the shirt done, Saber needed to perform the next, obnoxious task of mimicking the flowery design. Of course, following the exact design of the previous tailor would be nearly impossible unless he took several painstaking hours to do it; several painstaking hours he didn’t want to spend. Instead, Saber grabbed the white, lacy thread and attached it to a needle. In his mind, he had an image and was going to bring it to life. Not only that, but he would going to make his threading far, far more useful than the previous image-job. As Saber clutched the little needle, he pumped a bit of his mana into the tool. He controlled the flow of the energy and kept it to a minimum as to not waste anything and then slowly, he began to mark the shirt.

If he wanted to make the image come out correctly, Saber needed to keep his threading short and he had to be on point with every stich. A simple mistake would leave the image looking awkward and those who paid close attention to things would easily be able to point out said mistake. Not would it look terrible and embarrassing, but it would reflect poorly on the Tailor who made the shirt; and that Tailor would be Saber. Some crafters didn’t really care about the items they made or their designs but Saber was different. He took several measures to ensure that the quality of his items was up to par and he forced himself to slow down, even when something was simple. He took the same steps with every craft, kept to the basics, and worked out any imperfections that he came across. If things were bad enough, he would scrap the item entirely and start from scratch. Because of his seeking of perfection, that happened a lot more often than one might have thought. That wasn’t always true though.

In the beginning, Saber simply wished to get things done. He worked in his underground forge simply to create swords and make armor. He didn’t care for the quality of the items and focused purely on the crafts themselves. Back then, his shop was hardly known at all. Now, his customer base was a bit more frequent as the Funeral Parlor name spread a bit more. The lack of a known brand allowed Saber to take a lot of time to himself and he was able to spend hours at a time just making random weapons and armors. He tried different techniques he found in various books in the library and eventually, he got a good grasp on several. He learned how to curve the edges of swords, how to increase the sharpness of the edges, how to create various different shines and colors on the blades, and he even learned the folding technique used on eastern-style blades. When he first started Saber could hardly make a dagger, and now he could create swords sharp enough to pierce through the shells of Gods.

That need for perfection drove Saber to his limits with almost every craft and it made him better. His patience level increased and his attention to detail became far more refined than it ever was before. Saber’s hands became extremely nimble and the muscles in his arms were far more toned now as well. His body, honed by his hunting years as a youngin’, was steadily transformed to that of a master blacksmith. Though, one change that he wished he didn’t have to deal with was his thirst for knowledge. Saber had become a monster when it came to reading and his mind was a constant mess because of it. He asked thousands of questions a day and stored them all in the back of his skull if he couldn’t find an answer right away. Even the simplest of things bothered him and he found himself asking ‘why?’ over everything. It was a trait he didn’t want and damn it was annoying. However, it made him a lot smarter about things in the world he lived in. Saber understood the mechanics of the game a lot better, understood the politics of the Landers, and remembered almost everything about the landscapes he visited regularly. When he traveled, Saber had a database of questions to ask locals and had adapted a more social personality when conversing. Being a hermit wouldn’t get Saber anywhere and after a while, the Assassin came to terms with the fact that he would have to communicate at some point. ‘Practice makes perfect’, and Saber practiced talking a lot.

That knowledge base, the striving for perfection, and the countless hours spent working on metal and crafts carved Saber into a craftsman. As Saber bounced between crafting classes, he carried those traits with him and he continued to make quality products even when his environment changed. As he sewed the image in his mind onto the shirt, Saber’s need for perfection showed greatly. If he wasn’t satisfied with a thread, he would pull the needle back out. He took his time, ready to spend an hour or so on the stitching and every now and then, Saber referred back to the book in front of him for little tips on different ways to stitch the thread. Slowly and steadily, the image came together. The thread sprawled the entire shirt and swirled around the object with grace. What Saber had stitched was a dragon. More specifically, it was Albion, the dragon Saber had dueled quite some time ago.

The dragon’s eyes were sharpened, its body was thinly outlined and spiked, and Saber used a few small pieces of thread to accent the scales and spikes that were spread across Albion’s body. Saber went so far as to even include the dragon’s massive wings, putting them carefully on the shirt’s upper back and shoulders. Once the final outline was done, Saber used black thread to provide even more highlights on the image until finally, he was satisfied. The strengthened thread provided the enchantments of increased mobility, damage, and protection against fire, and they provided a small backbone to the shirt itself.

Saber took a few moments to admire his work but also to quality check it. He lifted the shirt into the air, twisted it, twirled it, flapped it, and even tried to stretch it. The seams held together nicely and the image stayed in place. Saber considered putting it on, but he risked stretching the fibers of the silk because of his larger size. Instead, Saber left the shirt to his instincts. He lay it back down on the table and carefully threaded on a hem to the bottom of the shirt, around the collar of the neck, and around the ends of the sleeves. With the finishing touch complete, Saber carefully added in the Funeral Parlor initials on the lower left hip of the shirt, slid it off to the side, and then pulled up his silk fabrics again.

: Word Count :
1162

Coded By Saber of L33T T3@M

-Item Crafted: Equipment Reforging-
Silk Shirt - A basic, dark red silk shirt.
Reforges: Increased Movement Speed, Physical Defense, and Resistance to Fire

[Saber]

Do you believe in ghosts?

The main piece he was tasked with making was complete, but Saber wanted to add in a bit of flavor. The butterfly garment was the final piece to the shirt, but he was going to use it in a different way than how it was used before. He was going to keep the broach and still use it, but Saber elected to do it more efficiently. He pulled off a strip of white silk and measured out almost three feet of the material before snipping it free. Then, Saber pulled off the same amount of red silk from the other roll, carefully matching up the lengths before he cut it free. With the two lengths out, Saber began to loosen up the different threads of the silks and snipped off the ends. He then cut the white length into four pieces and the red length into five. Each length was the same and after ensuring that his measurements were correct, Saber began to loosen up the edges of the pieces.

It took a little forcing but the threads eventually became free and the cloth pieces looked frayed on their edges. Out of them all, he left two of the red squares alone as they would be the bottoms. Saber pulled out his fabric scissors and carefully snipped at the loose threads. Saber was careful with his cuts and ensured that the rest of the two lengths of silk stayed together even after their ends were almost completely removed. A satisfying smirk crossed Saber’s lips after his quality check and he quickly continued, gathering up the white and red pieces all into a little pile right in front of him. The Assassin took up the white threading needle and slowly began stitching the pieces together.

The sizing of the squares, the snipping of the loose threads, and now the combination of the various squares created a long, smooth scarf that mimicked the fiery breath of the dragon. The red squares acted like pieces of the fire, while the white squares were the gaps and spaces between said flames after they left Albion’s mouth. It was a strange design and one that would require some explanation, but it made Saber chuckle a little when he paired it up with the shirt. Saber sewed in the butterfly onto the side of the scarf, placing it where the woman’s neck would be or where the right side of her head would be placed, depending on how she wore it. Because of the silky material, the waitress could not only use the item as a scarf but she could even use it as an extra-long ribbon. Not only that, but the threads also provided an enchantment as well; increased protection against fire.

After hemming off the ends of the scarf and checking over his threading, Saber gathered up his materials again and sent it all away into his inventory. His job was complete and now all he had to do was deliver the final product. Saber closed the helpful book he used, cleaned up his table a little bit, and then swiftly headed back out of his library. It was still early and judging by the time, the café would still be open for another hour or so, giving him plenty of time to reach it. Not wanting to wait and let the thoughts linger in his mind, Saber traveled hastily through the streets and across the rooftops. Thankfully, his favorite place of dining and relaxation wasn’t too far off. Walking, it took him about ten minutes to reach the place at a steady pace. When rushing, he was there in a fourth of the time.

The Assassin walked in quietly, accepting the usual greeting from all of the nearby waitresses in the room and also accepted the fact that they were busy. The usual crowd of people had gathered in the halls of the little shop and dozens of men and women alike came to be serviced by the finely dressed maidens. He didn’t blame them, as Saber came for the same reason initially. The thought of having a servant (even if it was fake) was enticing enough. After tasting the delicious food and finding a comfortable spot on the roof, Saber was made into a returning customer and not once did he complain. The women were very good at their jobs and they also were more than willing to lend an ear whenever Saber needed advice with something. Within days, Saber’s face was well known by all of the waitresses and they all greeted him with their usual happy smiles even when he bumped into them in the streets. It was a nice feeling, having somewhere to return to.

“What can I do you for, Saber?” The woman behind the main counter was busy as usual around the current hour, so Saber wasn’t upset when she spoke and only glanced at him a few times. She cleaned dishes that passed by when she could and passed the ones she couldn’t get to through a small door towards the actual cleaning area. At the same time, she organized all of the tickets that needed to be paid for near the register and kept tabs on the ones that were still waiting on food. When a dish came out of the kitchen, she placed it on top of one of the unserved tickets and rang a bell to alert the waitresses of the ready meal. The job of the woman Saber stood in front of was a tough one but thankfully the woman doing it was quite capable of multi-tasking. Her class of Swashbuckler helped.

“I’m here to return an item I borrowed. It’s for Eliya. I see she’s busy with some customers so just pass it to her when she gets a chance please.” Saber pulled out the shirt and the scarf, passing them over the counter to the woman. She accepted the items with a cheeky grin and placed them off to the side and safely out of the way.

“Will do. Are you going to be sitting upstairs again tonight? I can send up one of the ladies when they free up if you’d like.” Saber considered going topside and sitting down for another cup of hot chocolate, but he elected not to. He politely declined the offer and simply asked for a small glass of water. When provided with it, he drank it down quickly and slid a small tip over to the busy lady. Saber was tired from the day and decided to turn in early. It was a rare moment but even Saber had his limits. After saying his good-byes, the Assassin departed. Another job was done and hopefully Eliya would be happy with what he made for her. Either way, he’d hear about it the next time he showed up.

: Word Count :
1142

Coded By Saber of L33T T3@M

-Item Crafted: Cloth Accessory-
Flaming Scarf - A red and white silk scarf, crafted to look like fire breath from a dragon.
Reforge: Increased Elemental Protection from Fire