Dinner and a Tailor (IC)

[Dariusprime]

8 pm, September 21, 2010

Riverside Cafe

Eight o'clock rolled around and Fulcrum relaxed in her favorite booth. Riverside Cafe was a little corner place, tucked into a renovated corner row house in the heart of the district. Generally the clientele were the artsy types, since the place was surrounded on all sides by bookstores, galleries and studios. The owners were second generation, and their eclectic taste gave the place a homey feel. Lots of woodwork, random pictures of customers and locally produced artwork.

By this time of night, the evening rush had faded a bit, leaving only a dozen or so customers. Still that meant quite a crowd, leaving the place almost half full. Thankfully Mona had arrived early and secured her booth: the big group one in the back, best suited for six or more people or three people and a giant. The staff wandered around the large display and counter, tidying up.

Besides a huge cup of coffee, Mona was waiting, out of costume, for Caroline. The special was the Southwest Salad, but the handmade sandwiches looked delightful this night as well.

[Aoiroo]

The sun had set and there was a slight chill settling on the city, given, on the bus it was hardly noticable. Sitting three rows back Carrie clunched a formally long forgotten binder she had found in her desk drawers. With the help of tacky glue, and several pieces of cardstock it was now a booklet filled with several fabrics, about four little squares on twelve pages of various stuff she had lieing around her appartment. It had taken maybe an hour to prepare, which after a two hour nap, gave her about ten minutes to get out the door before coming, though she didn't look it. She was set up in dark blue cotton dress with lines a floral design embroidered in teal with black mini jacket covering her arms. Her hair was up in a high short bun, and she had worn her regular white sneakers to complete the ensemble. As such, she didn't really look like much, and garnered no real attention as she moved from the bus, to the restuarant and to the back as she found her way to a table she had once visited when the entirety of her incity family had once visited this place after a family picnic that had been hosted by her sister's university.

Mona was seated, and already had a coffee which Carrie smelled before she saw. It didn't bother her terribly as she put herself down into the chair across the table from the tall heroine.

"Evening, before you ask, feeling much better, got a nap in after I spent the day chasing the little demons around the playground then onto a completely different playground after I walked there over energetic behinds over to the closest Micky D's. I also got a record four misidentifying comments about being some sort of maternal figure, you'd think I'd get used to that sort of thing when it started to happen when I was in high school watching my little cousins."

Taking her purse off of her head, and plopping it down on the chair adjacent to her, she got the fabric scrap book and slid it across the table,

"In there's samples of everything I have plentiful enough to make anything. The thicker ones near the back are more for pants then tops, though you could make some pretty nice dresses with them as well. The front I've got a couple of sheers in different colors you can pair with some other fabrics at your discression. Just tell me what colors you like, and maybe the feel of the fabrics as well."

[Dariusprime]

Remembering her dislike of coffee, Mona politely moved the cup out of Caroline's way and eyed the scrapbook. Staring down demonic invaders was one thing, but picking out fabrics and clothing was a whole other ballgame. She looked like a dear in the headlights. Still to be polite the scrapbook was browsed. "I...really don't know where to start. I've always had a very limited selection, clothing wise. Even before my growth spurt, I was over six feet tall."

Feeling some dark fabric between her fingers, she continued, "Well, I like stark colors, ones that compliment my complexion. Blues, reds, black, greens, that sort of set or vibrant pastel. Drab colors don't work at all for me. As for fabrics, I have to consider durability first. Cotton works okay, while I love silk for both feel and wear, but you know how expensive silk becomes."

"Dresses are nice, but some pant suits, shorts, blouses and slacks would be nice too. Especially winter wear. I don't have to worry about the cold, but something that is multi-season and/or any occasion would be great."

[Aoiroo]

"Drab colors don't work for anyone, for a pants suite I'd probably have to work more in tweed, I've got some in a lovely dark green that'd be good. Durability is nice as always, but it just depends on the events really it's not like you'll ever really have to be fighting in most of these outfits after all. Anyway, any where can be winter wear with a good coat. Three coats of varying styles can usually keep a winter wardrobe interesting, as well as scarves, which I can some cloth ones but I can't knit for beans."

Flipping to the back to the more durable selection she went to a page,

"I've got some blue wool fabric we can use for a real general coat, I could probably get some leather as well and make you a good sized duster, though that one I'd have to actually charge you for the materials since leather isn't cheap, pleather is cheaper, but I don't have either just laying around. The third could also be wool, though polyester would be a good choice for a waist coat, I'll have to buy buttons regardless. Of course, you'll need gloves too, though again, no knit ones, if we get leather for the coat we can use it for the gloves too, though I'll have to trace you're hand to get a good measurement, but they'll be nice and fitted. Plus, I already have the velcro for them."

Flipping back from that page, she went to another one,

"For pants, I have some denim, not a lot though, I've got a some linen too, both in white, and a few pastels like lilac and pink. I don't have any silk, it's expensive, I have some ramie blends though which look nice, though it's hard to clean it's pretty darn durable, probably something we could use for formal wear. Though the real issue I have to bring up is, how in the world are we going to get you shoes to go with all these outfits?"

[Dariusprime]

Mona nodded at the appropriate moments but otherwise said nothing. She really wasn't sure what all she wanted. The opportunity for new outfits, at a reasonable price and handmade no less, was wonderful. Narrowing her interests down though was the tough part.

When Caroline mentioned shoes, Fulcrum chuckled, "Actually I already have that figured out. Most of my outfits come from the 'Big and Beautiful' store down in mall by the marina. They're great. Along with normal clothes, they have full-time tailors and referrals to other custom shops. One of them is a shoe shop downtown, Regina's Royal and Unique Boutique. We'll have to pay them a visit, pick out some shoes. If you don't mind."

As they further inspected her wares, a waitress approached. Normally, the cafe used a deli system at the counter for the busiest times. Now that the place had cleared out somewhat, the staff was free to assist the patrons full time. "Hello, my name is Korina and I'll be your waitress this evening. Can I start you on some drinks? We have double espressos on special, along with a local cream soda and hot chocolate. First batch of hot chocolate of the season."

"I'll have a hot chocolate please," replied Fulcrum before addressing Caroline, "Order whatever you want. My treat."

[Aoiroo]

"Really, I should tell Allison about that, she's a twelve in woman's, so it's been heck trying to find good shoes for her at the bridal shops. Plus she has a hard time finding good jeans long enough for her legs without heading over to the boy section. Anyway, we can probably head over there tomorrow if you're free. You can pick out a couple pairs you like I could make some of the outfits purely based on the shoes."

Turning towards the waitress she gave her a smile,

"I'd like a hot chocolate with whipped creme, and I'm ready to order. Can I get a roast beef sandwiche with lettace, pickles, and tomatoes on a sour dough roll."

As the waitress wrote down the order and walked away, Carrie picked up the book and started to flip through the back past the fabrics that went into full page sketches (as well as magazine cut outs) of several different dresses that had different cuts and styles that ranged from layered elaborate to sleek and slinky with everything Carrie could think of inbetween, as well as different types of tops that ranged from corsets to long sleeves to half sleeves that were partially detached.

"Things like pants and skirts can be made in simple styles to go with anything, tops and dresses however depend mostly on taste, so go ahead and skim through and look for some designs you like. Everything in there I've made in the past, and can probably obtain patterns for if I need to make alterations."

[Dariusprime]

"Yeah, they're great. Reasonable prices too, even for the custom orders," began Fulcrum before turning to the waitress, "That sounds lovely. I'll have the same, but without the whipped cream on the chocolate please. Thanks."

"I really wish I could decide on a style I wanted. I really do not enjoy tight clothing, my heroic costume included. If you ever see it, the whole thing is more of a loose body suit then the skin-tight spandex popular since the '70s." Looking over the sketches and designs, she pointed out a few interesting ones, including the slinky, sleek ones and the long sleeved styles. Of particular interest was a loose, layered arrangement of tunic and trousers.

"I like that one. I prefer flowing clothing. Maybe it is a genetic thing, being from the Middle East," she chuckled, "Ever heard of salwar kameez? They're these loose, sometimes elaborate, pants and top design worn in India and Pakistan. I love the colors, printing, needlework, etc. Heck, you can manage, I'd like a sari too. I've always wanted one."

Now she was getting excited!

[Aoiroo]

"I'll keep the preference for more loose clothing in mind when I get around to making the jeans."

Sitting back for a second she thought about it for a second,

"Actually, I probably could make you a sari. The only real trouble I'd have is the fabric snagging, but it's not terribly complicated a design, just a simple under dress with some drappery. I could actually have that done first if you'd prefer. It'd be a nice thing to wear to events I'm sure, I'll have to buy the fabric for it of course since I don't have enough of one particular fabric to make one and you generally don't make sari's through patchwork. Jeans however I'll probably do something like that for a few pairs, it adds such a nice visual effect. As for the salwar kameez, that's plenty doable as well, especially the scarves,"

She reached for the book and flipped to a fabrics page,

"Choose some of the fabrics you'd like, maybe some complimentary colors and I could probably make you one or two full SKs with what I have already."

While she let her look through the book, her hot chocolate came, and she proceeded to scoop up the whip cream with her spoon and eat it while she let the drink cool to non scolding levels of hotness.

"For some fall wear, I could probably make you some button up, and large neckline sweaters that sort of hang off the shoulders a bit. Some nice dark colors to go with your complexion would be pretty good and it should fit well with the rest of your wardrobe as well. If I ask, my mom could probably knit you a hat, given you'd have to pay her not me. She can knit just about anything, though she can't crossaise for beans, that's my cousin's Pat's job. When she got pregnant she did it all the time, I'm surprise she didn't crossaise a full crib for that little thing, she had done just about everything else."

[Dariusprime]

Now Fulcrum was becoming really excited. So excited in fact that she took a drink of her scolding hot chocolate without even thinking about it. Not that it affected her. Judging from the smile, the drink was delicious. Another bonus of having a super tough body.

Thanks again, Caroline. That sounds lovely. Two full SKs, a Sari and some jeans. That sounds lovely, she began, pointing out fabrics and colors she liked. "The hat and sweater ideas are good two. I would like one lighter, maybe cream colored, sweater though too please."

"I have to say though, you really seem to know your stuff. Some of these fabrics I've never even heard of let alone worn."

Not trying to change the subject, but otherwise just picking out patterns, she asked, "Any idea what you want to do in the long run? Go back to school? Maybe open your own shop?" The latter was a bit of self-indulgence and wishful thinking, but maybe Caroline had an idea in mind.

[Aoiroo]

She had her notepad out by now and started to write down the fabrics she was picking out. She let out a half sigh at the last part,

"Something you have to understand, is that the only reason I don't have to charge so much is because this isn't an actual profession. You're normal tailors have to increase the costs because of the fact that they have stores to run, things like rent, paying additional help, making large machines, manicuans it cost money and as such adds charge to the product. Plus, this isn't what I really want to do. I mean I enjoy doing it to some extent, but it's not something I'd do for more then a hobby, or in your case a favor. Tailoring is among other things, a service industry, the customer is always right which I just can't agree with. The customer is not always right in fact they are rarely aware of just how hard some jobs are. Like food industry, I ordered my sandwich EXACTLY how I wanted it after I looked at the menu, some people will order off the menu and assume that it won't have certian things on it without asking and then get pissed off at the waitress or the chef for making them what they ordered. Your pretty good about the fact that you know that you don't know everything about this and you tell me what you want, but for every good customer there is a butthead waiting around thinking that just because they're paying you means that you are automatically a mind reader and will get everything they request absolutely right without details. Now for food, that's okay because some things don't take long to make, but for tailoring, alterations and tweaking over and over can take hours of work trying to remake an image your customer just is sure of, or that might just be impossible in the time frame they expect it in."

Reaching down she picked up her hot chocolate and blew on it lightly before taking a sip,

"By the way, I'm not going to have these done all at once, you'll probably have a couple of weeks between each outfit since I do have other jobs besides this, mostly temp work, deliverying groceries and some work in the Theatre District. I think I actually have a catering gig because one of my friends is going out of town and needs a replacement. But yeah, I think I'll make the Sari and the jeans first, get those to you maybe two weeks. The SKs I can make a week at a time, and I can get you a good jacket by the end of October. The scarves and hat I can estimate a five to six week waiting period if I ask my mom about them tomorrow. She likes to start making these things for me and my sister every couple of years, plus of course the Evil Ems so that can effect the overall time. Though if I say you're willing to pay for them, it might give her some insentive because she loves having some extra cash around November especially. I wonder which mall we're hitting up this year for Black Friday this year."

[Dariusprime]

Mona raised her hands defensively. "Oh hey, I didn't mean anything like this. Just trying to be sociable. I can understand why you wouldn't want to do anything like this of course. I'll gladly give you a fair price for your work."

"As for the wait," she said in a more sedate tone, "That's fine with me. You and your Mom can take your time. I really don't need anything immediately, even the winter wear. Plus spacing things out will help me come up with the money. I'm not exactly a millionaire myself. Hopefully my next collection will sell well, or I may be the one asking for extra time."

Again she cringed, or almost did, at the mention of Black Friday. "Now that is a particular sector of retail that I detest. I worked Black Fridays when I was in school. Those are absolutely horrible. It's like your mind-reader demanding customers when they're all cranky and sleepy. Not exactly a great way to ring in the holiday cheer."

Shrugging, she leaned back as their food arrived. As usual for the Cafe, the staff were quick and efficient. "Thank you."

[Aoiroo]

Taking appart her sandwich and applying condiments she didn't really respond to the part,

"Well, I probably won't charge you much more then just for materials, a lot of which I already have. I mean, I don't think I could, you do some excellant community service after all."

Reaching for her hot chocolate which was now reasonably warm she took a deep sip before continuing,

"Some people don't ever sit down and do the math with how darn costly superheroism is, and not only the time but money goes into stuff like costumes which for a lot of heroes has to be pretty expensive when you realize the sort of punishment there clothing goes through on a day by day basis. I guess I just have a lot of time on my hand to think about this sort of thing, but bloody hell, being a hero can be incredibly inconvinent as a whole. Even more so for you because you don't get the option, of well removing your mask so to speak."

Picking up her sandwich she started to take a few bites and chew through a few moments before she started again,

"That is why I have conciously decided that I no longer do mornings. The only times of the year that I'll be out of bed before twelve o'clock is Christmas and Easter, and even then you'd need to hold a waffle under my nose to keep me movie."

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum nodded, "Yes, even these morphic molecule suits are pretty expensive. They're tough as bricks, but once they are damaged, it's expensive to have them repaired. On the plus side, they're custom-designed to stand up to all the standard arsenals used against a particular hero, and to respond to the owner's powers. One reason I don't dow bullet holes all night."

Delicately, yes, very delicately, nibbling at her sandwich, "That's true too, about the secret identity thing. I'm on call 24/7 whether I want to be or not. Not really so bad sometimes. Makes things like group outings or dates difficult. I'm just waiting for something to blow up around here."

"Thank you also. Not many people really think about the cost of heroing. My load is relatively light. Some of the technological heroes have huge sums of money invested in gear that can get damaged or smashed in every fight. Still I want to at least cover the cost of materials and other necessities. " She nodded firmly and took another bite.

After a sip of hot chocolate, she added, "Believe me, I'm not really a morning person myself." Thinking to herself, however, she mentally noted that she really wasn't an anything person anymore. Not the way her powers had been developing, but that wasn't something Caroline probably wanted or needed to know.

[Aoiroo]

She started to cough up as she sipped in a little too fast when Mona mentioned stuff blowing up,

"Don't say that, you'll jynx it. That's worse then saying something's idiot proof."

Putting it down she wiped her mouth before continuing,

"But yeah, I'd imagine it's hard. Being normal is immensely comforting even though some people berate it, most actively seek it out. Given, in Freedom City the exact definition of normal is stretched beyond most bounds of imagination. When I first moved here, a couple of the things I started to see and do on a regular basis only made sense under the context that you live in Freedom City. Like the public service announcements and drills, I don't think anywhere else at least in America has an invasion drill. Not to mention the clubs and classes I saw when I first went to high school and college."

She had joined some of the more unusual clubs and classes so she knew. The Dimensional Theory class was pretty interesting, though she was always foggy on the details since it was a dreaded morning class.

"I don't believe anyone is actually a morning person. I think that if you are good to go in the morning naturally, then you either didn't go to sleep the previous night, or don't physically need to sleep. Other then that, humans in the morning are either the walking dead or part of the surplus populas of caffine addicts and as such, if this was a world of morning people, Starbase would of gone out of business years ago."

Reaching for her sandwich she took another bite then went back to her cocoa and finished it.

[Dariusprime]

Again Mona held up a hand. "I say nothing more." She chuckled and sipped her chocolate.

Nodding at the oddities of Freedom City, she added, "But that also means we have one of the most efficient emergency response plans in the entire world. We've seen so much that, frankly, I suspect we ready for just about anything. Your right about the other things. Normal is very relative around these parts. I took a course entitled 'Evolution of Superhero Costuming' in college. That one was actually pretty fun."

"Good points all. I've read that the average person takes two hours to full wake up. That's scary when you consider many people are awake for less than an hour before they join the early morning commute. Also makes sense why I deal with more accidents in the mornings than the evenings, when people are fatigued from work." She chuckled at some of the more humorous memories of dealing with traffic. "If only I ran a flying taxi service. People have offered a great deal to make it to work on time. I can't accept, on principle, but I'll get their cars out of the ditch."

"I know you're not a coffee person, but I don't know how civilization got along without it. Oh, that and chocolate." To wit she finished her drink as well.

[Aoiroo]

"That's one of the numberous reasons I do not have a car, driving scares me worse then giant robots and werewolves, though I haven't actually met any giant robots."

Letting that thought hang in the air she took another bite and finished off the first cut in half of her sandwich,

"Anyway, we can chalked up the lack of caffine addiction to the fact that early civilization didn't stay up all night doing projects, getting hammered, or updating their facebooks. As for chocolate, no arguement found."

Reaching down for her sandwich she finished off one of the cut halves just about the time the waitress came back around,

"Would either of you like a refill?"

"No refill, can I get a coke."

"Pepsi fine?"

"Nope, but water is thank you."

[Dariusprime]

"Stick around you'll have some giant robots. Especially if you hang around me long enough. I swear I attract robots, the giant kind in particular, at an alarming rate." She chuckled, and speeding up, finished her sandwich in a couple of bites. No, she was being ill mannered. For her the nice-sized sandwich was finger food, and trying to eat it slowly was the demanding part.

"Actually you'd be surprised at the number of night owls among artists, especially ancient and early-medieval periods. For some reason night fall brought out the creative sides. Could be a combination of long days of work coupled with the fear of whatever was outside at the time. Werewolves no doubt included."

Thinking to herself, she added, "I haven't fought any werewolves to date." A light went on in her eyes, and she continued, "But I did know a werewolf superhero once. I can't remember his name, but he was a really good fighter. Very much a street-level hero. Hunted criminals and drug pushers a lot."

[Aoiroo]

"What did I say about tempting fate, I'm sure the karma gods are just waiting now to drop a robot on us just to be funny."

When the waitress returned with her water she began to sip it slowly as she moved to the second half of her sandwich,

"Night owls are common in all circles, but somehow there's this idea that it's not appropriate for some reason. Early bird catches the worm and all that jazz. It's just that old fashion thing, like the masculine and feminine rolls, it's less common but still there in a certian context. Doesn't matter much to me though, I don't generally get much different treatment in the industry because I'm the eternal temp who doesn't charge the additional fees of a staffing agency."

She took a moment to get a few bites in before continuing,

"As for werewolves go, I guess the context of the werewolf comes from the general fear of wolves in general. Which are, actually rather frighteningly effient at killing and hunting. Not that we see any around anymore in the states, we hunted and more domsticated the lot down to nothing. Though dogs can be pretty dang scary. Small dogs are always these evil little monsters, but it's weird because people get freaked out when they see some of the sweetheart breeds like Great Danes."

[Dariusprime]

"Yeah, it's funny how big hearted and docile the big breeds can be. My neighbor owned a Saint Bernard. Sweetest, biggest baby you've ever met. Wouldn't hurt a soul." Fulcrum smiled at those memories.

"That's very true. Wolves seem quite intelligent too, and coupled with those efficient hunting skills would make people uneasy. In fact I read once that in some southeastern Europe countries, wolves still prey on people on a regular basis. It's just a matter of isolated communities, lots of wilderness and lack of communications that keeps that little fact under wraps. Like how many people get attacked by tigers every year. Or hippos."

Fulcrum glanced over at the counter, then back to Caroline. "I think that chocolate cookie pie is calling my name. Want a piece?"

[Aoiroo]

"It's mostly because any breed bigger that could fesibly take down a human we more or less bred any violent behaviors out of. Tigers are well respected predators like most big cats, though most people don't think about hippos because they don't eat meat. Which is rediculous, just because it won't eat you doesn't mean it won't trample you because it's getting territorial."

Glancing over at the pie she gave a smile,

"Ohh that looks good. Sure have them bring it on over and I'll take a nibble."

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum waved the waitress over and ordered two pieces of the delicious pie. Taking a nibble, she nodded, "Oh yeah, I read in National Geographic that hippos kill more people than all the predators combined. Plus the medium-sized dogs are the most dangerous, not the really big ones, just as you say."

"I'm not really a dog person though. I don't know why. I prefer cats. Easy to deal with, and if you get one with a good personality, very loving. Dogs, while loyal, seem really, really needy. I like a pet that will take care of itself if you're gone for a while." Another large bite of pie gone.

"That is really good pie."

Taking a sip of water, she continued, "Have you seen that huge dog STAR squad keeps? I think it may be a German Shepherd, but it's absolutely monstrous. Like the size of a small horse big. Runs alongside their patrol cars fast. I know something weird went into that dog. The newspaper said it was rescued from a dog fighting ring. How cruel."

[Aoiroo]

Taking her own small slice of the disappearing pie she took bits off with a fork and stuck them into her mouth,

"Iphh ta,"

She took a second to swallow,

"If the ring didn't do something to it, it might of just simply been exposed to terminus energy. The amount of energy released in the aftershock of the invasion was substancial after all, and it's not like it just disappeared, it's a form of radiation after all. Though it's half life has never been discovered I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't hang around the city for a few months after the blast, or years even. It seems to have mostly disappeted by now, it certianly explains the upcrop of terminus babies. Given, the sheer variety of people with powers and the sources is so numerous it's hard to tell whether or not it wouldn't of just happened naturally eventually."

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum sat more sedately, slowly chewing at the pie, once the topic of Terminus radiation came up. Eventually she replied, "It's electromagnetic radiation actually. I don't know the specifics, but it's related to cosmic rays, which are also called hard gamma rays. The main thing about it is that it radiates until absorbed by a material, and the very high energy does substantial damage to the absorbing material."

"My understanding is the steady uptick in 'Terminus babies' is a result of undetected germline mutations from short-term exposure. High-dose or long-term exposure is probably much, much worse." Unconsciously she adjusted one of her bracelets. "I've heard the stuff is like the metaphysical equivalent of raw entropy."

Smiling, and looking a bit more chipper, she took another bite of pie, "Anyway, it's a distinct possibility. A couple of generations of 'Terminus Hounds' could probably produce dogs that big. Then again I've heard that the dog is a real sweetie, if that means anything." She chuckled.

[Aoiroo]

"I'm sure it is, big doesn't mean scary a good bit of the time. Though there certianly a lot of things to be scared of like aliens, necromancers, mad scientists and that's just the good guys."

She gave a light shrug,

"As said earlier, normal for Freedom is rather abnormal. At least the tastes hasn't been effect."

With that Carrie took her fork to the pie once more taking bites accompanying her water until it had gone down to nothing. Her stomach had thankfully settled from earlier today, and her head hurt a little less then it normally did but sugar almost always helped that.

"Can we get the check please?"