Boarding Shorts [Dymien/open]

[serge]

Serge made his way through the hustle and bustle of the string district as quickly as he could, a pair of shorts held close against his chest. He couldn't believe he'd done it, he'd torn his favorite pair of shorts. He recounted in his head the arena. He couldn't remember what setup he was going with, or why he had decided to practice with his swallow so recklessly but one way or another he'd managed to rip a huge whole in his favorite shorts.

He remembered searching frantically through the school, trying to find someone to fix his shorts but he was out of luck. It turned out the school wasn't as self contained as he thought. Truth be told Serge wasn't too keen on wandering the city. Sure, the bass district was really the only one to look our for but something about such a large city was just unsettling. Perhaps it was because it was a city that so easily resorted to grabbing people from other dimensions or whatever right after their death. Any given person in Symphony could have died once; or in serge's case nearly died twice and then forgotten his actual death.

He finally found it, the most famous tailor in the city. He walked through the door slowly, trying to get a good look at the place. It seemed massive and . . . high priced. Serge hoped he had enough money in his pocket so afford whatever repairs they would do to his pants. He prayed they wouldn't go overboard with the shorts, he knew how those fashion people tended to get carried away.

"Hello?"

[sei]

Dymien was having some morning. Tripping down the stairs wasn't a good way to start his work day, he thought with a deep scowl. The young man shook his head and let out a sigh as he recalled the next foolish thing he did. It was't like it was a deep cut, but he was certainly going to be much more careful the next time he picked up a pair of scissors. Certainly Dye wouldn't wish to waste another prospective project over staining it with a little blood. Oh how he felt bad when wasting clothing, but at least it was only something he was working on for himself. Dye readjusted his vest and brushed off his pants as he stood up from his work-desk in the back of the store. Perhaps he should check on the store--

"Hello?"

Dymien perked up at the sound of a customer. Work would help him feel better about his failure of a day. Setting down his latest project, Dymien rushed out to the show-room with his most welcoming smile and looked to see who had spoken. The young man looked somewhat peculiar, so Dye immediately assumed he was from the academy. Over the years, Dymien had become very good at figuring out when someone didn't come from the city, as it seemed there were more and more academy students by the day. "Hello sir, sorry I wasn't out here. Working in the back," Dye gestured to the door where he just came from. It wasn't terribly uncommon for him to work back there when it was a slow work-day.

Taking in the young man fully, Dymien noticed blue hair under his bandanna and a pair of shorts in his hand. Must be what's required Dye thought with a bright smile. He liked fixing clothing because it always seemed to hold such importance to the person asking for it to be fixed. Dymien knew that if the article of clothing wasn't important he wouldn't be asked to fix it and they'd just replace it with something new. "So I see you've got something there you'd like to get fixed?" The shear joy of working with clothing seemed like it would never get old, Dymien thought with pleasant feelings in his heart.

[serge]

Serge couldn't help but take a moment and marvel at the selection of clothing in the store. Serge came from a simple fishing village, most of the clothing he came in contact with was mostly comfortable and practical as opposed to flashy and exotic. He supposed that what might have seemed exotic to him might seem normal to others, and vice-versa, but some of the clothing was so expensive and elaborate he couldn't imagine anyone wearing it. The store did have it's share of more practical get ups, which was comforting, but the price tags were still slightly higher than Serge would have guessed.

"Hello sir, sorry I wasn't out here. Working in the back."

Serge awoke from his daze at the sound of another human voice. It wasn't until someone came in from the back that it occurred to Serge how empty the place was. The city seemed so busy outside, perhaps the store's service was so extraordinary people were in and out so fast it never looked like anyone was around. Perhaps it was just slow. Serge figured the price tags might have had something to do with it.

"So I see you've got something there you'd like to get fixed?"

Serge finally remembered the whole reason he'd navigated to the string district in the first place.

" Oh right, thanks for reminding me." Serge carefully unfolded the shorts and held them open for the store assistant. Right on the left leg there was a long gash that started at the upper pocket and went almost down the entire leg. A few other scratches and tears could be seen in other places on the pants, but most of them paled in comparison to the gigantic cut on the right leg. " I was practicing and ended up ripping my favorite shorts." Serge looked at his pants. He'd been through a lot with those shorts, and probably even more that he couldn't remember.

"I know they're in pretty bad shape but I was hoping they could be patched up." Serge took one more look around the store, " I know it might be easier to just buy new shorts buy mom made these for me when I was younger and I was hoping to hang onto them."

[sei]

Dymien couldn't keep the smile from his face even though his head was aching and he was feeling a bit weary. The customer seemed to be in a bit of a fog at first, but Dymien managed to get his attention by speaking. The kid seemed surprised at first that Dye had spoken of fixing his clothing, but quickly remembered what he had come for. Dymien supposed the store must have been a bit intimidating for people not accustomed to fashion and the occasionally murderous price-tags that came with it. Dymien had long since accepted the fact that fashion was not for every budget, certainly not within his dreams as a child either.

When the young man held up the pants, Dymien frowned a little and took in the damages. Most people probably wouldn't dream of putting the time or effort into fixing such an old pair of shorts, but the young man spoke of how important they were to him. Dymien always enjoyed a challenge though and he didn't mind at least trying to fix the shorts, even if he found he didn't have the ability. The young man walked a bit closer as Serge continued speaking about the shorts and took a better look at all the repairs that would need to be made. The largest repair was still the gash, but even that seemed possible enough. "Well this doesn't look too bad actually. I mean well... it looks bad, but I think I can fix it. I can completely understand you not wanting to buy some new shorts though."

Dymien gestured to the store around him as he continued, "It can be a little overwhelming and sometimes having something familiar is a lot better than getting something new. Better for the wallet too." Dymien laughed a little at his comment and tried to take the shorts from the young man so he could inspect them in his own hands. "I can't promise I'll get them perfect, but I'll do my best. I won't charge either because I don't mind doing jobs like this at all." Dymien couldn't imagine what his boss would think of statements like that, but Dye didn't get paid by his boss. Dymien worked commissions so his boss didn't have much say in what he received as payment. With a smile Dymien nodded and told himself that he could patch the shorts up no problem.

[serge]

For the first time since he'd arrived here Serge felt comfortable. The employee at the tailor show seemed to understand Serge's predicament. Everything from the sentimental value of the shorts off the way down to the nearly unreasonable prices on new shorts the employee just understood it all. Serge supposed if you worked anywhere long enough you would begin to understand customers.

Serge was glad to here the shorts could be fixed. The employee might not have seemed the most confident in it, but the hope was there and it but the slightest smile on Serge's face. The tailor was right to be a little doubtful as to the success of the repairs. Serge had torn the pretty badly, more badly than he could ever remember doing so. He had just been trying to jog his memory practicing with his swallow and instead ended up hurting himself. At least his wounds would heal, his shorts would need to be repaired.

Serge shook his head and blinked for a second when he heard the tailor wouldn't charge. " Wow, no charge? That's awfully generous." He felt bad about it. A few times back in Arni Serge would get freebies from neighbors he'd known his whole life, but he'd only met the tailor 5 minutes ago. " Thank you very much but surely there must be something i can give you. I wouldn't feel right not paying anything for all your hard work."

[sei]

Dymien took the shorts to his little work area in the front shop and set them on his desk while he turned back to Serge, still a beacon of comfort in a sea of unfamiliarity. Dye didn't usually ask questions about his customers unless they let on that they really wanted to speak of themselves, but he was rather curious about this young man. He wasn't from Symphony as far as Dymien could tell and that intrigued the man, as he did make a slight mention of his mother when he spoke just a little bit ago. The blue haired young man began to speak once more, saying he wasn't comfortable accepting Dymien's work without any compensation given. It was funny when people were like that to Dye. "No really, it's fine. Sometimes I feel like the work helps me more than it does my customer, you know?"

Dymien paused for a moment to glance back at the shorts he would begin repairs on. "I just realized I haven't even introduced myself. How rude! I'm Dymien Sei Derran, at your service." The young man cast a quick glance back at the blue haired man before sitting at his desk. He didn't wish to dilly-dally too long at his work though because he wasn't entirely positive of his capabilities in such a huge tear. It would be good if he could finish the work as soon as possible so the young man wouldn't have to fret over the loss of his shorts for longer than needed. "So where do you come from?" The question seemed harmless enough, but to some out-of-Symphony people it was more like a slap to the face. This young man didn't appear to be the type that would get upset though, so Dymien made a calculated risk.

While awaiting an answer, Dymien began to ready his needle and thread. Those frustrating machines weren't really worth what they were made Dymien always thought. Doing everything by hand may have took longer, but the end product was sturdy enough to get through anything. It didn't take very long for Dye to thread up the needle and set in on the job at hand. The smaller tears and cuts were what he would address first, as those would take nearly no time at all. When Dye was working he felt like nothing truly mattered but his accomplishments, and his accomplishments were put on display once he was done. It was a proud position for him to have, knowing that people of all walks of life wore what he did and treasured his work even if they didn't treasure him as a person.

[serge]

Serge could only nod slightly in agreement with the other boy. Serge had nothing to pay him with, and despite how bad he felt the only thing Serge could do was make a mental note to pay him back later. Serge wondered if any of the money he used back home was of any value in Symphony. It was a question on his mind ever since he had arrived but had never spent anytime really looking onto the matter. Once again Serge pushed the question to the back of his mind, deciding that he'd have to come back to the store and buy a new pair of shorts, if he could afford them.

"Oh!" Serge had forgotten the he had neglected to introduce himself when he came in. He smiled a little, the friendly atmosphere was reminding him of home. "You can call me Serge." he said politely. No matter what Serge thought of Symphony, at least the people who lived there were usually polite. When the worst crime in your city is mere swindling you know the city is in a good place.

"I actually come from a small fishing village called Arni." His train of thought was broken when asked about where he came from. Serge didn't usually talk about where he came from, most people didn't really ask. "I doubt you've heard of it. I'm in the academy, I'm one those people that come from . . . other places" Most people could tell at first glance that Serge wasn't from Symphony. It was either his hair color, the way he dressed, or some quality that Serge couldn't discern. For some reason he always found talking about being from another world awkward, for one in labeled him as an outsider. The other reason he didn't like talking about it was the expectations it placed upon him. Everyone from another world was expected be some hero, some great fighter. Serge was not, or at least he couldn't remember it.

[sei]

Serge. Dymien made a mental note of it, being sure to pair the name with the work he was doing and the face. Dymien always found it was easier to remember someone if he automatically connected them to a job he was doing. It was his version of a memory device like others used, just a bit more round about. The young man seemed rather comfortable until Dye asked from where he came. Perhaps he shouldn't have asked as much after all. It wasn't an anger though that Dymien got in return like many out-of-Symphony characters might have expressed which made the young tailor wonder if there was simply another reason why Serge didn't feel comfortable talking about it. It could have been anything from he missed it to he felt like he had been ripped from home against his will. No one was truly taken from their home though, Dye thought with a heavy heart. It still just felt like an injustice when he thought too heavily on it. Was Symphony really worth saving?

"The academy is a lovely place. Hopefully you're not ruing it too much?" Dymien tried to sound light-hearted but it was hard when he felt so bad. Serge was probably a happy person before he died. He probably felt perfectly at home, maybe even normal in his fishing village. It simply wasn't fair. "Should you ever need time away though, as I hear you've got big expectations on your shoulders with the rest of the students, there are some nice places in Symphony to relax. I hear there's even a garden within the Sanctuary walls that's lovely. Just... Try not to let everything overwhelm you I suppose. I can't even imagine how difficult it would be to be in your shoes." And Dymien was telling the truth. He really couldn't imagine what it would be like to have such expectations on him.

Since he was young, Dymien's biggest dream was just to make clothing. It was a simple wish, and never even came close to 'life-threatening' like so many around his age were forced to face now. But even Dymien himself knew that those in the Sanctuary were the city's only hope for survival. It was an unfair expectation, but it was also their only salvation. A double-edged sword. Dymien looked down at his work, finishing some of the more minor patching that he needed to do. His eyes rest over the main cut in the shorts once again and Dymien knew he would be able to fix the clothing. It was simply the least he could do for this young man. To give him something to hold onto of his past. His home. A place he won't get to see again. Trying not to let his mind overwhelm his work, Dymien set in on the cloth once again with his needle and thread.