Creative Use of Resources |
Summary: | With the Alasce Masque fast approaching, Clara resorts to creative means to speed up her fabrication timetable. |
Date: | 10-12-1865 |
Related: | http://eternalcrusade.wikidot.com/log:1865-10-09-unmasked-emotion |
NPCs: | {$npc} |
Players: |
Oh, there is so much to do!
It was so unexpected. Clara was absolutely certain that she would not be allowed to go to the Masque in Alasce. Certainly not this year…and absolutely certainly not after what has happened at the last two tournaments. But, Claire offering to speak to her brother on behalf of Clara? The mere hope that Letholdus saying yes….that was enough. Enough to light a fire under Clara, to get her moving on the masquerade idea that until previously was mostly just sketches and wishful thinking.
All that has changed now. Now…Clara has a goal and precious little time in which to accomplish it. And, as the adage goes, desperate times calls for desperate measures.
First, a proper workplace is needed. The chambers that Clara had selected in Almeria was certainly big enough to house the fabrication of her masquerade gown, but it needed supplies. A dress form, for one. And fabric. And needles. And thread. And feathers, among other things.
The dress form was easy, though rather unorthodox. A quick trip to the practice yard solved that little problem. Of course, Clara didn't ask to take one of the target dummies, but who has time to ask when there are dresses to be made? The dummy was spirited away by lady and maid, cleaned until it was spotless and now stands in the corner…with approximately the same height and build as Clara. The table besides the re-purposed dummy was formerly in a library….now serving as a fabric table. Needles and thread were an easy find, the couple of spools resting on the fabric table. Two wooden bowls sit in the far corner of the table, with a red liquid in one and yellow in the other. And, besides the bowls, a small pile of white feathers.
The feathers were more difficult. Not because there wasn't a readily available supply. On the contrary, with the moongazer pens, feathers were in plentiful supply. However, Clara knew she needed white feathers. "White feathers….it has to be" were the words Clara said to her servant Alysonne. "The dye will take better to white feathers than to black. We want the colors to be bright…not dull." It made sense, at the time. But…with the mostly black moongazers, sorting through all the black feathers to find the white ones shed was a daunting task. And there was still so much to do. Fortunately, Culain was willing to help.
Poor boy. He has yet to realize just how many white feathers Clara wants.
Yet, there is still more needed. Things that Clara is going to have to shop for. And, really, there just isn't enough time to make a dress from only cloth and thread. Some shortcuts are going to be necessary.
Looking over her crafting corner once more, Clara picks up a sketch from her bed, looking it over. Brown eyes flick over towards her maid, as a smile pulls at the corners of Clara's lips. "Alysonne, we're going shopping. I saw a dress in the market that has the perfect color and, with just a few alterations, should be just the thing we need." A quick list is scribbled down on a blank piece of paper as Clara sets down her sketch. Yellow ribbon for trim. Translucent fabric…red, if possible. A bird mask, if at all possible.
And…that dress. Red. It was probably a bit out of style, which is why it was still in the shop. But, with the changes Clara has in mind, that isn't going to matter one bit.
A final check, then the list is snatched up. Clara reaches over, taking her coin pouch off her vanity and handing it and the list over towards Alysonne. "I just hope that dress is still there. Without it, we are not going to be able to finish in time." Clara reaches over, taking the servant's hand and, with a smile, leads her out the door. The pair meet up with Clara's usual knightly escort…two Alicante knights she met since Four Corners….and together, the quartet leave the fortress to the market.
The sketch remains on the fabric table. The drawing is of the dress Clara saw, the one she intends to purchase, and her designs on what she is going to do to it. The sleeves…removed and converted into opera gloves? The edges of the dress trimmed in yellow? Ambitious plans, it would seem.
Fortunately, it would seem that Clara is up to the challenge.