The elderly tailor, horrified, looked down his nose at the woman who stood in the centre of a round, finely woven carpet.
"What happened to my work?!"
He circled her in the brightly lit room, the candle light bouncing off of highly polished surfaces, silver items, mirrors. Waving his arms about, aghast, he declared:
"I cannot repair this...this...monstrosity!!!"
Dernwynn trailed him with her gaze as he pulled at the tatty fabric, the hem torn badly, an arm missing from the garment, mud and blood dried upon it which forced the once beautifully flowing red dress to have hard, unyielding patches. With a tired sigh she replied:
"I do not ask you to mend it"
"Good! Because it is impossible!!"
The man gave a series of tuts and continued to fuss around her, almost as if he had lost a child or wife instead of a dress he had created.
"Can I have the belt?"
A mousey haired girl, barely a woman, tried to reach out for the golden belt around the womans waist, only to recoil and stuff her own fingers to her mouth with an "OW!" as the elderly man slapped her hand away. He placed his palms on Dernwynns shoulders, one bare, one covered by the fabric and declared:
"Blue! I will make you a gown of blue, it will be my greatest work!"
He, and the woman then proceeded to try and undress her, the man holding up pieces of fabric to her face, the girl bringing over whatever he asked, pins, ribbon, material. Holding her patience, Dernwynn forced a smile:
"Whatever you deem fit. I simply need something for now.."
The man stopped, giving her an incredulous look:
"Now?! Oh if you want a dress made of a potato sack, yes now, Charlotte! Get me a potato sack, she wants one now!"
He glared at her:
"Now, you know my work takes time, small stitches, fabric from the farthest reaches of the lands, jewels from the dwarves, tiny, tiny details, you will wait! Perfection takes time!"
Closing her eyes, she took a breath, standing in her simple yet fine undergarments. Composing herself, his rant being the last thing she needed after such a taxing day, she replied:
"I do not have the ability to fetch clothing from my home, I need something now, something practical. No jewels, no embellishments, something suitable to run in, to ride a horse in, something simple."
He stood, mouth agape. Then went into his usual patter, something she had become used to given how much custom she had provided him:
"But your beauty, you should be draped in the finest, the very best. It is what we do isn't it?"
Looking him directly in the eyes, she lightly clenched her fists, though he would not notice, instead he returned her look as if she had wounded him deeply. She felt sympathy for him, this was his life, his trade and he was surrounded by those with little coin so he could rarely show off his talents. She relaxed, releasing the tension from her body, her palms at her side.
"I will buy many dresses, soon, maybe one in green too? A jade and gold belt perhaps? but I need these clothes now and I will pay well for them."
The man declared with a snap of his fingers:
"Charlotte! See to what she needs, and you? No, no, no, Jade? too dull, emeralds my dear, emeralds!"
