Style Quest: Costumes on Pavia

 “Stand still, or I might accidentally stab you,” Varick ordered the half-lynx he was pinning a dress on. Jania did not like wearing dresses and was not making it easy to pin this dress for alteration. As a shieldmaiden and captain of the guard, the feline had a more muscular build than off-the-rack dresses usually fit, thus the need for this one to be custom fitted. 

 

“Why are we even doing a fitting if you’re just going to glamor my armor to look like the dress,” Jaina asked, bored and a bit antsy be done. She needed a dress for a druidic celebration for her step-mom, Violet, the Archdruid of the Harvest Druids. Normal Jaina would shine up her dress armor, but this was a more formal ball event.

 

“As I have told you several times already, the dress needs to exist and be measured correctly, or the illusion provided by the glamor threads won’t work correctly,” Varick explained again as he noted a measurement down. This client was testing his patience, but the money was good, and her father, William Drackonas, sent her directly to the Clydesdale. “This is especially important since you asked to quote, ‘make your breasts pop to see if you can attract a man.’” The grey half-lynx muttered something under her breath and mostly held still for the rest of the fitting.

 

After twenty minutes, Varick walked his client out of the fitting room as he told her to come back in a week to have the glamor threads put into her armor. As Jania left the store, the soot-colored Dragonborn, Kriv, entered. He wore a nice suit that Varick had made a few years before and now needed to be taken out around the middle. 

 

“There’s my favorite student and best darn tailor I know,” Kriv greeted the Clydesdale with honeyed words. Since he was wearing his suit, the Dragonborn had just returned from a court date somewhere for one of his mysterious crimes during the war. Kriv did teach Varick how to control his magic, so the Clydesdale did the odd tailoring job for him and hoped this was just a split seam that needed fixing.

 

“Your only student, and if that needs mending, I’ll get it done by tomorrow,” Varick reminded the Dragonborn as he did a preliminary inspection of the suit. The horse didn’t see any tears or popped seams which made him suspicious.

 

“No, no, the suit is fine,” Kriv assured Varick, “a little tight around the middle but otherwise great.” The blonde Clydesdale took a step back as he folded his arms. That meant this was about to be a big favor. “So I was chatting up this black and red salamander, the kind with the fire that runs down their backs, and I may have accidentally signed up to help make costumes for orphan kids during the Cloud’s End Celebration.”

 

“And you’re hoping we could sell you fabric at cost,” Varick inquired with a slight eyebrow raise. He knew what the sooty dragonborn wanted but didn’t want to play along. He had been trying to figure out which portal world to try his luck next, and Pavia was at the top of his list.

 

“I was hoping that you’d do all the sewing and stuff so I’d look good while not disappointing the children,” Kriv flashed his crooked smile as he admitted what he wanted.

 

“Fine, but you’re paying for all supplies,” the horse tailor offered as he extended his hand. The dragonborn reluctantly shook it to seal the deal. Varick finished all the jobs on his to-do list over the next four days. With all assignments completed, the Clydesdale packed his extradimensional messenger bag with materials, thread, and sequins. Kriv met Varick outside the Adventurers’ Guild, and the two set off into the portal together. There were no unusual feelings or nausea with the trip through the portal this time.

 

Pavia was a beautiful world of stone deserts where the sunlight danced colorfully across the sands, and large chlorosaurus flew through the sky in their multitude of colors. A place where the wonderful scent of food filled the city streets as vendors tried to hawk their wares. That, of course, was all when it wasn’t raining. Varick and Kriv arrived at the Guild Hall in a torrential downpour. They knew it was the rainy season, but seeing Pavia like this was still slightly disappointing. Varick had planned and put spell threads into two umbrellas, creating a column of hot air around the user. The heated air repelled raindrops and ensured the umbrellas’ wielder stayed warm.

 

“Kriv, you made it just in time,” a black and red salamander greeted the Dragonborn as they arrived at the school before noticing the horse. “Hi, I’m Ziya, and you must be Varick, Kriv’s assistant.”

 

“Yeah, that’s me, the assistant,” the mahogany Clydesdale confirmed as he stifled a laugh. He shot the Dragonborn a look, but Kriv was too busy admiring Ziya to notice.

 

“This year, for the Cloud’s End Celebration, the kids voted on having a costume ball,” Ziya told the duo as she led them down the hall. “We have about fifty kids, so we are immensely grateful you volunteered your time. I cleared out an old office for you to take measurements and talk to the kids.” The salamander stopped before a door as the flames on her back burned softly. “Is there anything you need before we start sending children down?”

 

“Give us a few minutes to get situated,” Kriv said as he opened the door. Ziya nodded, then left Varick and the Dragonborn alone. 

 

“Fifty costumes by the time the rain stops in four days,” Varick seethed angrily in a hushed tone at Kriv. “I will be sewing day and night to meet that deadline! All because you wanted to flirt with a cute girl!” The angry Clydesdale pulled a notebook, a pen, and a measuring tape out of his messenger bag that he practically threw at the Dragonborn. “There’s a cheat sheet on the back of the notebook for what measurements I need. Write down the kid’s name and as much detail as possible about their desired costume. The measuring tape is enchanted, so once you line it up properly, it’ll display a red and black number. Write down the red number.”

 

“Did I mention that-” the Dragonborn started to say, but Varick cut him off.

 

“Now my reputation is really on the line, so don’t fuck this up,” the horse hissed angrily at his former mentor. Two by two, the kids started filing into the room. Varick measured one while Kriv took the other. Luckily, most kids had drawings of what costume they wanted or were enthusiastic about giving details. All the kids were happy and excited until a sniffling twelve-year-old fennec walked in drearily with tears on their cheeks.

 

“Just make me whatever, I don’t care,” the small fennec sniveled as they tried to hold back tears. Varick put his notebook down and sprang immediately to action.

 

“Hey there, tell me what’s wrong,” the Clydesdale knelt in front of the fennec as he pulled a handkerchief from his vest pocket. The fennec shook its head as Varick tried to dry the tears. “If you don’t want me to tell anyone, I won’t, but it might help to talk about it. Let’s start with names. I’m Varick.”

 

“My name is Tyler, but I like it when people call me Kaytlyn instead,” the fennec introduced herself as she took the handkerchief. 

 

“Nice to meet you, Kaytlyn,” Varick smiled at the fennec. “Now, do you want to tell me why you were crying?”

 

“Some of the older kids were being mean to me because I like to dress up in pretty clothes,” Kaytlyn explained as her eyes started to dry. “Ms. Ziya told me I could dress however felt right for me, but when I do, they make fun of me. Then today, I told them I wanted to dress like the kitsune from the Mystic Highschool graphic novels. They told me to stop pretending to be a girl and that I was the wrong type of fox.”

 

“Hey, Kriv,” the Clydesdale pulled Kaytlyn into a tight hug to cover her ears. “What’s the Guild penalty for punching a child?”

 

“Six months per punch or triple if you break anything,” Kriv answered without thinking about it.

 

“Ok, Kaytlyn, I’ve read Mystic Highschool, and if you want to be Emiko, I will make you Emiko,” Varick assured the fennec, almost in tears. “Remember, no matter what anyone says, you are valid, and you should always dress however or do whatever feels right for you. Now which Emiko outfit did you want?”

 

“My favorite story was the cheerleader one, but they’ll be terrible to me if I dress like that,” Kaytlyn sighed, upset about the possible future teasing. Varick thought for a moment before an idea came to him. It had been a couple of years since he read that book series, but he remembered something that might be helpful.

 

“I’m going to dress up with you,” Varick told Kaytlyn with a firm nod. “I’ll dress up as Emiko’s unicorn friend, Daffodil, that joined the squad with her. I’ll be here for you, and if anyone tries to make fun of us, Kriv could use a few more strikes on his record.” That statement elicited a giggle from Kaytlyn. Varick got the measurements he needed from the fennec and then sent her on her way.

 

That afternoon, Varick sent Kriv to mail a letter while he started sewing costumes. The next few days were a blur of fabrics and sequins as the horse tailor assembled fifty costumes. Kriv tried to help with the props but was quickly relieved of that job and put on coffee duty. Varick was exhausted, but by the time the rain stopped falling outside his window, he had assembled all fifty professional-grade costumes plus an extra one for himself. Kriv had to take the outfits to the school as Varick passed out cold at his desk after his last stitch fell into place. He awoke several hours to a black raven pecking at the window by the bed. It had a letter at its feet and squawked loudly between pecks. Varick managed to pull himself to the window and open it.

 

“Fast birds get tips, fast birds get tips,” the raven croaked as the blonde Clydesdale reached for the envelope. Varick fumbled around for something shiny to give the raven. Eventually, his hand found a shiny bobbin that he tossed to the raven. It caught it in its beak before flying off, disappearing into a small portal. Varick tore open the envelope and read its contents before changing his costume and running to the orphanage.

 

At the orphanage, kids of different ages filled the halls running around dressed as many different characters and creatures. The horse tailor-made his way along the corridors till he found Kaytlyn’s room. A sandy-furred fennec answered the door with her regular clothes on. She was going to say something till she saw Varick’s costume. Instead of Clydesdale’s vest, shirt, and pants, he wore a blue and orange cheerleader uniform. The top fell perfectly just above the horse’s navel while skirt frills fluttered around his legs. Ribbons tied in Varick’s mane and tail to form elegant braids, with the whole ensemble topped off with a white spiral horn on top of his head.

 

“Hey, have you seen my cheer captain,” Varick asked Kaytlyn, who was staring at him in awe. With an enthusiastic nod, the fennec ducked back into her room to change. A few moments later, she reemerged, dressed in a similar outfit to Varick. “Turn around. I’ve got one last finishing touch for you.” Kaytlyn did as instructed, which allowed Varick to tie a blue ribbon around her tail. As the bow pulled tight, the fennec’s singular tail suddenly turned into nine with little motes of blue and purple flames swirling around them.

“You did it,” Kaytlyn excitedly cheered as she wagged her nine tails. “You made me a real kitsune with fox fires!.” Varick was going to explain the glamor threads but decided not to ruin the fun. Together the two set out to have fun at the Cloud’s End Celebration. 

 

Not one person had anything but compliments for the two cheerleaders as they played festival games and enjoyed the attractions. Despite all his practice throwing needles, Varick still couldn’t knock over the bottles with a ball. Kaytltn got to enjoy her first cholorsaurus ride high above the clouds. As part of his penance, Kriv got stuck running a stall selling Varick’s premade clothing he brought with him. All of these sold out quite quickly, with all the kids in costumes running around acting as free advertising. Stars lit up the sky as Varick and Kaytlyn watched a play onstage. The story was about a piece of Pavia mythology, but the fennec girl was worried about something else.

 

“Do you have to go when the festival is over,” Kaytlyn inquired as she thought about being alone again. Varick smiled as he pulled a letter out from the pocket of his skirt.

 

“If you like, I have some good news for you,” the Clydesdale explained as he handed the letter to Kaytlyn. “If you’d like, my parents would like to adopt you,” Varick paused as the realization hit the fennec, “so you’d be my little sister.”

 

“Really, for real,” Kaytlyn looked up at the horse, who simply nodded, causing his fake horn to dip a little. “Yes! Yes! You’re already the best big brother.” Varick’s parents arrived the next day to meet Kaytlyn and do all the necessary paperwork. The Clydesdales enjoyed the rest of the festival with the newest addition to their family. Kaytlyn no longer had to live in fear of ridicule and could now live her best, most authentic life.