Washed Up (SoL / Roskana - Kumo)

[VoxApocrypha]

He'd take her hand, gently squeezing it.
"Only a little?" He'd ask, raising an eyebrow. "Can't remember the last time something was spicy enough." He'd chuckle. "I'm sure I'll love it though."
He would feel his own smile widen a little at the sight of her giggle, seeing her so giddy bringing out more of a giddy energy from him as well.

[Sophie]

She had to stifle a happy little squeak as he squeezed her hand. She had never in her life felt the way she felt now. "Don't tell Hayakawa that." She giggled, "One summer, a bunch of kids were trying to do their 'test of strength' and asked her to make the curry as hot as she could. The one who was brave enough to try it ended up bedridden for a week." She laughed and began walking down the main street of the town.

Hayakawa's curry restaurant wasn't far, only a few buildings down from them. Surprisingly, it was small, having only five floor tables, each with enough room for four Kumo. Hayakawa was behind the counter, stirring curry in a rather large pot. She was ancient, well over seventy years of age. As she spoke, a very thick accent polluted her common. "Atsuko! Chie send letter for you. She in Tsubame for big navy event. Says she visit soon." She held out a small white after looking for it for a moment or two.

Atsuko took the letter with evident confusion. "Hayakawa-sen sent this? Wasn't she assigned to escort duty?"

"I never know what that girl doing. Even worse than her mother. Anyway, who your friend? Never seen you with non-Kumo before." She spoke very bluntly as her age and unfamiliarity with common tainted any tact she may have intended to have.

Atsuko was a bit embarrassed but responded happily. "This is Apollo. I met him on my last voyage. Could we get two orders, please?" She led Apollo to one of the tables and sat on one of the provided cushions.

Soon after, Hayakawa brought out two plates of curry. One side was completely white rice, and the other was the curry itself: a pool of brown sauce with a litany of different vegetables and cubed pork. Atsuko quickly bowed her head in thanks before picking up her chopsticks and mixing the rice and curry. "Sooooo, Festrian boy, huh? Be careful. Not too many people in town see non-Kumo before. Stick with Atsuko-kas. She good girl, and everybody know her." She leaned down and whispered into Atsuko's ear, "No wonder you don't have boyfriend. You like them furry!" The older woman laughed to herself while Atsuko choked on the mouthful of curry she had just taken in.

"Hayakawa-kama! It's not like that. We just met!" Her face was bright red with sheer embarrassment as the old Kumo walked off. She buried her face in her hands and shook her head. "I'm so sorry about her. I promise she's a nice woman when she's not being nosy."

[VoxApocrypha]

The Festria would let himself be led along, being the stranger in a strange land he really didn't mind having his guide and date basically lead him like he were on a leash, though that'd change as he got more comfortable with his surroundings. In part he as well just didn't want to let go of her hand, though he would have to inevitably, doing so when they reached the table. He looked at the cushion and then at Atsuko, his eyes then going to the table as he a did a little bit of mental math and was able to instantly deduce that he was fucking short compared to everyone in this town.

He'd look around, and then at the cushion that'd act as a seat, and as the older Kumo came over he'd gently nudge the cushion away, opting to stand instead - he was used to always being on his feet, and mentally he pondered how polite it'd be to steal a bunch of cushions and try to stack them like a booster seat. In part he also found that as probably more embarrassing than having to stand, and in his current circumstance, he wanted to keep his pride intact.

He'd rest his arms on the table, leaning in a bit to let it support some of his weight as he let off a soft sigh.
Though, his attention is caught by the older woman as she would bring the two plates of curry over and set them down, Apollo giving her a appreciative thank you and a bow of his head. He only wished he had money so he could give her a tip. He'd have his ears angled towards them, but he wouldn't even grab his chopsticks before he had to bring his arm up and put his mouth behind his wrist to hold back a laugh, looking up at her as the old lady cracked her joke.

He'd nod his head and reply, "It's fine, It's just a joke. Haven't had humor like that in a long time. Also not the first time I've heard it either." He'd grab his chopsticks, and then start to mix the rice and curry together, before he would go to take a bite.

[Sophie]

The blush subsided as Apollo comforted her, and she softly laughed a little to try and wave off the rest of the embarrassment. She took a few more bites before speaking again. "N-normally, I'd dress up a bit more for a, a um... date." The word date came out very awkwardly, as she wasn't even entirely sure of what her feelings meant, let alone what Apollo was feeling. All she knew was that she definitely liked Apollo a lot, more than anyone else she'd ever met before. "But walking all the way home just to walk all the way back here seems a little silly." She giggled a bit, feeling silly wearing overalls and a t-shirt for her first date.

[VoxApocrypha]

He'd tilt his head a little at the word 'date', smiling again as he looked up at her, and would briefly cast his eyes down to her clothes but not let them linger as to be polite - he'd keep his eyes from wandering as best he could anyway, but there were a lot of things about not only the scenery but his 'date' that were catching his eye and curiosity, clothing among them given it was both familiar and strangely alien in its design, given the obvious physical differences between the two of them.

"Well, compared to me you're dressed rather well." He'd shrug. "After all my clothes are basically rags at this point. Speaking of, you mentioned there was a tailor here, yeah?" He'd take a bite of his curry as he listened for her answer.

[Sophie]

Her heart pounded as Apollo's eyes washed over her but still, she giggled. "I suppose that's true. Though, to be fair to you, I quite literally pulled you out of the ocean in nothing but that shirt." She smiled, enjoying her curry and the still ever-present scent of strawberries emanating from her 'date.' The mere thought of identifying Apollo as her 'date' made Atsuko smile like a fool. "Mhm!" She answered with a mouth still full of curry; she quickly swallowed. "Yamaoka-kan's is actually right next door!" She punctuated with a sip of water, still having yet to fully realize that Apollo was still standing.

[VoxApocrypha]

Apollo looked at the shirt more intensely than he had after a moment, still chewing as he contemplated what would become of it. He could go without a shirt in all likelihood, but he'd not be going anywhere without pants, so he considered what he'd get for work clothes and in particular, if he'd be able to find or have made, a good pair of work jeans. Though he'd first need money to begin with..

The line of thought was dispensed with as his date spoke again, his attention entirely back on her as he would take another bite of his curry, smile still present on his muzzle.
"When would you like to pay them a visit? I'd imagine maybe we might go to your home first since you've been up for so long, i'd feel bad if I kept you running around after so long awake on that boat."

[Sophie]

Atsuko shook her head. "I've stayed up much longer than this before. Besides, being around you gives me boundless energy." She smiled at Apollo with genuine warmth and joy. There were only a few bites left of curry, and she quickly devoured them all. "I figured we could go as soon as we're done eating. I don't think she'll have anything in your size, but Yamaoka is a master tailor. There's no doubt in my mind that she can sew something together for you."

A thought passed through her head if anything in her grandmother's trunk might fit him. She had captured a few Gaelic uniforms and outfits during her tour in Hawaii. However, the thought was quickly banished as she imagined how the town would react to him wearing a Gaelic outfit.

[VoxApocrypha]

Apollo would give a gentle nod and then turn his eyes back to his food, leaning in to finish off his own meal of curry. He hadn't had it before and found that he did quite like it, though he didn't even really feel any heat off of it. He figured he'd probably buy a ghost pepper at some point if the opportunity presented itself and he had money, but he did somewhat dread asking the old woman in the future if they could make it hotter. Though that thought was again gone as he would finish.

"Is there somewhere to turn in used plates?" He'd ask her, looking around again.

[Sophie]

Again she shook her head. "I'll take it for you." The answer to his question came as quickly as Atsuko's hand came for his plate. Walking up to the counter, she placed the plates down and searched through her satchel until she pulled out a small silver coin with a '100' embedded into it.

She handed off the coin to Hayakawa, who responded by shaking her head and shouting. "No, no! It's too much! Two lunch set only seventy yairen."

"Just keep it Hayakawa-kama. As always, your curry was so delicious it deserves a little extra." Atsuko jokingly debated back before softly grasping Apollo's hand once again. Once her fingers were interlaced with his, she gave him a soft squeeze and began heading for the exit. "Thank you for the meal!"

"Come back soon! Cute Festrian boy!" The old woman yelled back just as she opened the door.

Atsuko blushed a little but felt better when she felt Apollo squeeze her hand back. "Yamaoka's is right over here!" She stated with glee and led him literally right next door. When the tailor's shop entrance opened, a little bell attached to it rang.

"Come on in!" Someone inside shouted. "Oh! Atsuko! It's you! What are you doing back so soon?" A younger Kumo, only slightly younger than Atsuko, was staffing the store. The room was filled with beautifully elegant and modern dresses alongside meticulously designed yukata. All of which were draped over large eight-legged mannequins. "And who's this with you?" She spoke with more than a bit of confusion while pointing at their interlinked hands.

Bowing and smiling, Atsuko giggled a bit, having to explain her current situation so consistently. Though once it was out in the air, this woman seemed to follow along quickly. "So we need to get him some new clothes as quickly as you can make them. Can I count on you, Yamaoka-kas?"

"Oh my. It's been a long time since I made clothes for a bi-ped." The woman towered over Apollo as she eyed him up and down to get a general sense of his size. "But I think I can whip something up by tomorrow morning!" She answered confidently. "Do you have any preference of cloth or style, Apollo-kan? And what's your budget?" A firestorm of questions flew out of the tailor's mouth as she dragged him over to the center of the atelier. A multitude of tools lay out on a tray nearby. The golden-orb-weaver Kumo started with measuring tape and began rapidly gathering his measurements.

"Do you think we could get seven outfits, with one being a rush order, under five-thousand yairen? Oh, and he'll need a yukata too." Atsuko quickly spoke up to answer the budget question, knowing Apollo didn't have any money on him.

Yamaoka paused her work and looked over at Atsuko with a smile and a thumbs up. "Can do!"

[VoxApocrypha]

Apollo'd find his hand once more interlaced with hers, being pulled along by his larger date. He would wave at her as she called out for him to come back soon, unable to reply before he was quickly gone. Once again though when he found himself in another establishment - literally next door, she hadn't been joking, he'd once again feel like a fish out of water.. and as well, a little intimidated by the large size of this other Kumo. As he would be subsequently sized up, and then taken further into the store, and various questions were sent in his direction, the Festria wouldn't be able to reply before his date had stepped in for him.

Apollo'd stand and follow orders as they would take his measurements, lifting his arms a bit for them. When she would mention a Yukata, mentally he would say 'score', though he says nothing aloud, a bit visibly disconcerted as he gets basically examined by a Kumo who's comparably to him, massive. As well, he'd have to keep a mental tally of how much money she was spending on him. He'd have to repay it somehow.
His debt only grew deeper as far as he could tell, but he really wouldn't have had it any other way at that moment.

He was looking forward to repaying his debt, and more than that, spending time with Atsuko. Perhaps even he could stay here, if all went well he figured.
But at that moment he was a bit more excited for a Yukata.

[Sophie]

Yamaoka spent at least half an hour measuring Apollo, and diligently writing in her little notebook. Finally, she let Apollo relax and wiped the sweat off her forehead. "All done with the measurements!" She smiled with pride and overlooked her notes double-checking Apollo and smiling as she felt more and more confident in her measurements. "Though you still haven't told me what kind of clothes you would like Apollo-kas. Would you like to look through fabric with me?"

Yamaoka was smiling warmly trying to make her customer feel as comfortable as possible. Atsuko was sitting in the corner at a small table drinking tea but perked up at hearing about picking out fabrics. The fabrics were all lined up like a book on the wall that you could flip through. There were at least a dozen different silks named after the kind of Kumo the silk originated from. There was also cotton, denim, chiffon, fleece, satin, plaid, and even some freshly imported Koian silk. "I see you've expanded Yamaoka-sen!"

"You could say that! Business is always good right before the holidays. All the kiddos want new yukatas and kimonos every year." She laughed a little to herself. "Well, Apollo-kas? What interests you?"

[VoxApocrypha]

Apollo would take in the choices of fabric, going over his options before he'd turn his head to the side, having stopped on denim again. A couple of seconds of thought and he'd return his attention nack to Yamaoka.
"I'm thinking I'll go with denim. It's always served me well for work clothes."

[Sophie]

"Just denim? Surely you don't want seven outfits of just denim, do you?" She joked a little. "Don't worry; I'll make you something nice and sturdy. If there are any fabrics you absolutely don't want me to use, just let me know! I'll get to work right away." The large woman walked back over to the main counter, where a small abacus lay with a pen and paper. Flicking a few things and writing with an elegant fervor, she came to a price for the clothing. "For seven custom, bipedal outfits, a yukata, and one rush order that'll come out to five-thousand eight-hundred yairen." She looked to Atsuko to ensure that the price was okay with her.

Atsuko began digging through her satchel once more and pulled out a ten-thousand-yairen paper bill. "All I have are tens. Do you have change?"

"Of course!" Yamaoka smiled and took the bill, handing back one that had the number '5000' written on it.

With confusion, Atsuko asked, "Wasn't it fifty-eight-hundred?"

"You're my friend, and you're doing a good deed for someone in need. Consider it your good person tax." She smiled at both Atsuko and Apollo. "Just like your mother would have."

She couldn't help but smile after being compared to her mother, though she soon retorted. "You can't keep giving everyone the friends and family discount. I don't know how you turn a profit at this place."

The tailor waved her off, "You're worth it." She winked. "Now have a good rest of your day. Stop by first thing tomorrow, and I'll have a nice outfit ready for you, Apollo-kan."

[VoxApocrypha]

Apollo would bow his head in thanks to Yamaoka.
"Thank you." He'd say, and then turn to Atsuko, smiling up at her. "And thank you, Atsuko-san. Really, this is.. more than I could ever ask for. I don't know how I'm going to repay you."