Stitch By Stitch [Open]

[sailorgenerous]

Who: Rarity and you!
What: Rarity is hard at work in her boutique. Please, come bother her - she loves bringing in new customers.
Where: The Carousel Boutique, Fourth District, Traverse Town
When: Afternoon
Warnings: None so far. Rarity will not be pleased with anypony who does anything that requires this thread to have a warning.

She'd heard quite a bit about what had happened aboard the newest world - the Mother of Invention, she'd heard it called. After hearing there was an invisible something attacking people out of the blue, and after Emile came home horribly injured, Rarity had simply sworn off going there. She would go if somepony needed her, of course - that was what friends were for, after all - but she'd keep the tourism to a minimum.

So she'd said hello to Steven and picked up a variety of fabrics and a few new accents that she didn't normally use but couldn't wait to test out, and she got to work. It wouldn't do to stay idle, after all - not when she still needed practice designing for people.

Comments

[colorbymemory]

Namine had been avoiding the Mother of Invention herself. Even with her Spirits, it would be dangerous, and the others wouldn't like her going alone. If she asked someone to go with her, then they might end up getting hurt, too. So exploring there was on hold until the invisible enemy had been taken care of.

That didn't mean she couldn't visit her neighbors in Traverse Town, though. So once she'd finished her chores at the tea shop, and made sure nobody was waiting to have their Spirit painted, she went to see Rarity. She didn't need any clothes, particularly, but it would be nice to talk.

Not seeing Rarity immediately when she entered the store, she called out softly, "Hello? Rarity?"

[sailorgenerous]

Spike heard the door open and bounced out into the hall, squeaking enthusiastically at Namine's Spirits. Hi! Hihihi!

"I'm in the workroom, dear!" Rarity called back, engrossed in a very finicky stitch. Humans did have curves in odd places, and getting the fabric to fall just so could be...interesting. "Do come in."

[colorbymemory]

Namine actually had some new spirits with her today. Lambert the Tama Sheep bleated a hello as he walked over to greet Spike, while Shadow the Toximander waved a hello from her perch on top of Lambert. So Spike lived here with his person? How did he like it?

Normally, Namine would have waited until Rarity was free to come into the main room. She knew all about dealing with a tricky point in a project. Since the invitation had been given, though, she walked back to the back room and knocked on the door before coming in. "Hello."

[4letters4ninja]

Ziva's memories were still a bit jostled from the incident on the Mother of Invention...she wasn't sure exactly what happened. Before waking up, things were blurry. She hoped things would clear out soon. Wash didn't want to talk about it much...which made her think something pretty bad had happened.

She was out walking with Ducky and Fluffy when she ended up outside that clothing boutique opened by the pony. Walking in, she gave Fluffy a look that said 'don't mess with anything' before poking around a bit herself. He landed on a shelf nearby, decided to behave, watching as Ducky followed close behind their person.

If they were being overprotective, she was ignoring it.

[sailorgenerous]

Spike heard the bell over the door ding and bounded out into the hall, squeaking excitedly. Guest! They have guests! Hi everybody!

If the bell weren't enough of an indicator of company, Spike's antics certainly were. "Good afternoon," Rarity called out, setting down her work and trotting out into the main showroom. "Welcome to the Carousel Boutique! How are you?" It wasn't just an idle question - she'd heard about what happened to people who went on the Mother of Invention, and the events of the past few days had been no exception. There wasn't any harm in checking up on her guests, after all.

[4letters4ninja]

Fluffy and Ducky went towards the sound of another spirit, Fluffy squeaking a hello...Ducky hiding behind a rack as he got closer. Ziva chuckled, rolling her eyes as she looked around.

"Ah, hello." She said, turning towards the pony who walked out. It still was strange to consider talking ponies normal, but after being saved by one, she'd deal. "I am okay, I guess. How are you?"

She fingered a bit of blue fabric as she talked, being careful as she did so. She didn't know if Rarity was territorial or not.

[brodakota]

For the most part, North had considered his training with Trouble a success. More often than not, the Thunderaffe was listening to him now and following commands, if a bit clumsily. But every so often there were slip ups, and today North had woken up to Trouble eating the shirt off his back, and the pair of pants he had tossed aside the previous night in shreds. That'll teach him to not put his things away.

He's a bit hesitant to go into the store, given the circumstances, but it was better than the moogles. Trouble wasn't exactly after the belts.

"Hello?"

[sailorgenerous]

"Hello, North!" Rarity called as Spike came bounding out to meet him. She laid her current project down and trotted out to join him in the front room with a kind but knowing smile on her face. "Let me guess - you're here because of Trouble, aren't you."

[brodakota]

Cactus sprang forward to meet Spike, although a look from North suggested that tag might not be the best game to play in this area.

"You guessed right. She seemed to forget what was good to eat and what was bad last night. I woke up to her eating my shirt."

Which wouldn't have been so bad except for the fact that he'd been wearing it at the time.

"I'll also need a new pair of pants. The ones she ate weren't salvageable."

[punsofiron]

Liz wasn't particularly into the fancy clothes that Rarity offers, but sometimes the mood or need hit her, so she thought she may as well take a look around at least. She was offered something for the party a while back anyway.

When she stepped in, Rarity was busy with a new project, but as soon as the door closed behind her, Kodachrome was immediately attracted to the shiny fabric in the corner and tromped toward it.

"Hey, no Kodachrome! What are you--"

Sup Rarity, you now have a Hebby Repp burrowed in your fabric.

[sailorgenerous]

That happened much more often than Rarity cared to day. "Now, that's not for you," she informed the Hebby Repp, gently magicking the fabric away. "Now, why don't you go play with Spike? I'm certain he'd be happy to share. Wouldn't you, Spike."

There was a squeak from a rather large pile of fabric scraps in the corner, under which Spike the Pricklemane was presumably buried. Sure he'd share! That's what friends are for, right?

in the meantime, Rarity turned a smile to Liz. "Don't worry, it happens all the time. How have you been?"

[punsofiron]

Kodachrome had managed to wrap herself up pretty well in the fabric, so she rolled ungracefully as it was snatched away, blinking up at Rarity. But at the squeak from the corner her attention immediately directed that way and she scampered toward the sound. Hi new friend! Hi! Nicko meanwhile found a spot in the window to perch, watching the outside world and thumping his tail idly.

Liz shook her head with an amused smile as she watched the Dream Eaters do their thing.

"I could be worse," she shrugged at Rarity's question, "But I get by. Just thought I'd see what you're working on out here."

[letteropener]

"Good afternoon, Rarity," came a familiar voice from the door as it opened in a shimmer of sun-golden magic. In came Celestia, folding her wings to pass through before half-spreading them to their usual display state once again when she was past. "May I trouble you for a moment?"

[sailorgenerous]

That was certainly a voice to pay attention to. "Princess Celestia!" Rarity bowed low, as was proper, before speaking up again. "Yes! Certainly! Was there something you needed?"

[letteropener]

Celestia winced very faintly. After even a few short weeks away from the pomp and circumstance of Canterlot and the court, she had gotten quite fond of not being treated like royalty, and the sudden reminder of her status hit low and hard. But such feelings were nothing she hadn't dealt with before; she put them aside and bestowed a bright smile on Rarity.

"There is. I need an outfit made, if you would be so kind."

[guerriera]

This isn't likely a visit Rarity was expecting. And, if Carolina was honest, it wasn't one she'd intended to make any time soon herself. However, the items provided by the moogles didn't appeal to her, not for 'simple' workout clothing, and Rarity at least had an eye for colour that wasn't eyesearing.

Dax on her shoulder, still teal and still sporting his dapper hat happily, and the Frootz Cat happily skipping at her heels, the bell rang as Carolina nudged open the door to Rarity's shop. Still in her armor - she'd not worn the dress since the party - the redhead looked about warily. Lack of sleep was making her paranoid, and she wasn't even aboard the Mother of Invention.

[sailorgenerous]

Unexpected visits could sometimes be the best visits. One learned that very quickly when one had Pinkie Pie as a friend.

Rarity had just finished the last stitch on the current phase of the project at hoof when the bell over the door rang. She trotted into the front hall with a smile. "Welcome to the Carousel Boutique- Oh! Carolina! This is a nice surprise. How have you been?"

[guerriera]

She was still getting used to people being happy to see her. It had never been the most common occurrance before things had gone pear shaped, and nowadays..

Well, things had changed, hadn't they. "Hello, Rarity," she nodded politely, and Dax squeaked happily from her shoulder, still aqua blue himself and tipping the hat that the unicorn had made for him politely. "I'm fine. How've you been keeping?"

Lela skipped forwards immediately with an eager mew of greeting. This wasn't a personPerson but a PonyPerson! She hadn't met too many of those yet, but this one was incredibly pretty!

[notquitedracula]

Apparently, clothes get dirty in the world of dreams. Who knew?

Anyway, Soma didn't have a lot of sartorial options; he had a spare pair of jeans and a shirt that wasn't terrible, but two suits of clothing just wasn't going to cut it in the long run, and Heaven forbid he should need to dress up for something.

He was admittedly somewhat doubtful of a pony's ability to create clothing suited to people - or even other ponies, for that matter. Still, it was this or the moogles, and frankly, their inventory didn't thrill him, so it was worth taking the chance.

The laziest Komory Bat in the world perched on his shoulder, wings folded and more than half asleep. Soma idly wondered if he should be training the thing more than he was, but dismissed the idea; combat training aside, it was teaching him some aerobatics that impressed even Dracula's shade, and they were doing a good job of keeping one another worn out.

Off-white silk, he mused as he walked in, with gold accents, maybe. Something I can move in. A cloak, too. Munny wasn't an issue; he had enough of that from fighting the Nightmares that he probably wouldn't need to worry about rent at the hotel for a good few months, even after this.

[sailorgenerous]

Rarity had taken a break from her latest project to do a bit more work on Spirit accessories. She'd need Bolin's help to try out the vests and jackets, things that usually required some sort of arms or forelimbs to wear, as Spike was sorely deficient in that area. The Pricklemane was, however, currently sporting a bright turquoise beret in addition to his usual bow tie. Of course, the beret flopped right off when the bell above the boutique door ran and Spike bounced down the hall to greet their visitors. Hi! He hasn't seen you guys before!

Rarity took a moment to retrieve the beret and arrange it on a shelf before following behind her Spirit. "Welcome to the Carousel Boutique! How are you today?"

[notquitedracula]

"Well enough, I suppose," Soma replied with aplomb mostly intact. Of course the talking horse was telekinetic, why hadn't he even considered that as an option? And she had pretty fine control, too. Probably extremely fine, if she used it to make clothing. He knelt to greet the pricklemane, nearly dislodging the technicolor lump from his shoulder in the process. Tepes chirped an irritated chirp at him for being so careless, and woke up enough to greet Spike on his own terms. Soma needed to get another spirit, and soon, or he really was going to be the master of the laziest spirit ever.

"I'm given to understand that you're a tailor?" he queried, sounding somewhat dubious. Admittedly, it wasn't her occupation he was doubting - merely that she was able to make clothing for people who didn't happen to have four legs, hooves, and a tail.

[statisticallyterrible]

She couldn't quite tell what it was that brought her to stand at the entrance to Rarity's workroom. As of late, Chell had tried to keep scarce around her host, so as not to project any of her excess mistrust onto the kindly pony. Anger and tension had no place stewing in the brightly-colored boutique. Instead there had been a lot of days out training, fighting Nightmares, and more than once finding a quiet place outdoors to sleep.

Now, here she was, awkwardly trying to figure out what she was doing here, whether she should bother Rarity, who seemed quite busy anyway, and probably didn't need to be distracted by someone who didn't know what they wanted anyway.

But for the love of Pete, Chell was tired. And she just really needed to be around someone who didn't make her angry.

She rapped a knock against the doorframe.

[sailorgenerous]

Rarity was nothing if not a multitasker, and at the moment she had half a dozen pieces literally up in the air, held up and manipulated with her magic. A needle and thread sewed two pieces of fabric together, scissors trimmed another, and a marking pencil marked lines along a third. It was all for the same ensemble; tackling multiple related parts at once would make the process that much easier in the long run.

"Oh, hello!" she called when she heard the knock on the door, turning around. "I didn't hear you come i-" Her greeting trailed off into a high-pitched shriek at the sight of her friend. "Chell!" She galloped towards the door, rearing up and wrapping her forelegs around Chell's middle in a hug. "Oh! I haven't seen you in forever! I was so worried about you!" She pulled away after a few moments with another realization. "And you're filthy! You need a bath, and of course a clean ensemble, and a meal. What would you like? There are sandwiches, of course, but I can make you something different if you like." She was already on her way towards the stairs to run a bath, confident Chell would follow, chattering a mile a minute and utterly relieved to see her friend back and all in one piece.

[onlyrescuesmaidens]

Jaime, having figured out how to use the map feature on his communicator, found the Carousel Boutique next to the tea shop without much incident. He stood across the street for a moment, trying to think of the proper word for the look of the place. The architecture, the clothing on display, it was all so... luxurious, yes, but that wasn't the right word for it. Colorful? Certainly, though that wasn't it either. Ornamented? Accurate, getting closer...

Bold. That was it.

He pushed open the door of the shop and held it open while his pricklemane bounced inside.

"Behave yourself," Jaime murmured to the Spirit. It had seemed to be able to move without knocking things over, but he could imagine the kind of havoc it could wreak if it bounced into the wrong thing in a shop.

Once inside, the pricklemane turned and gave him a hurt, somewhat offended look.

"My apologies," Jaime said, holding his hand out in a pacifying gesture. "I know you'll be careful."

Satisfied, the pricklemane bounded forward.

Jaime was a little more cautious.

"Hello?" he called.

[sailorgenerous]

Rarity hummed as she straightened up her workspace. She wasn't usually this tidy when it came to her creative process, but she'd discovered very quickly that Spike, unlike Opal, was quick to forget everything she'd told him about not playing in her supplies. After coming in the workshop to find him completely tangled in six spools of ribbon, she'd decided it would simply be easier to tidy up her space and put things away where Spike couldn't reach them. She'd just finished when the bell over the door rang.

"Coming!" she called, heading into the entryway. "Oh- Jaime!" She greeted him with a warm smile. "I'm so glad you found the boutique. Are you settling in alright? Do you need anything?" He was a friend and new to the city - of course she would help.

Spike bounded in close behind her, utterly delighted to see another Pricklemane around. Yaaaaaaay it's you again! Hi hi!