Bring the fire

[emberized]

Who: Axel and You
Status: Open to anyone trying the Infinity Fabrics quest
Where: Fairy Fire Fabrics
What: Pick a prompt or make your own! Threadjacks allowed. We're just here to fling magic and look good doing it
Warnings: N/A

A.) Say yes to the
[If pressed about it, Axel might say that a Nobody has no capacity for shame, though a certain childhood friend would likely interject that Lea never had any to begin with and deep down Axel knows this is true. He may not have woken up today intending to slip into this little number-- something red and strapless with just enough cascading frills to accentuate the silhouette, while leaving a tasteful amount to the imagination-- definitely had tried walking right past, until the shopkeeper all but grabbed him off the street--

But he has to admit.

He can rock a dress.

Axel smirks to himself in victory while an attendant hastily stuffs some of his wayward locks into an approximation of a bun, one quickly losing the fight to gravity; he keeps his hands on his hips in a decidedly unladylike fashion.]

"HA! Easiest munny ever made." [Just stand here and try things on? This is highway robbery and Axel WILL commit it... his wallet could use a little padding lately.]

B.) Got it Accessorized?
[This ain't a runway show, one outfit isn't enough when the job is to test for multiple effects; Axel tries to keep himself from growing too bored by picking through a box of stockings and other accessories, making a slight mess with the way he piles them together.

His eyes light up when he pulls one-- a very LOUD, busy pattern-- only for a member of the staff to hastily set it down and slap another into his palm.

The second the attendant walks away to help someone else, Axel hastily snatches it back, holding both up.]

"You agree with me, right? This one is way better!"

C.) Stage Fright
[Axel forgoes any qualms he can give about the situation when he sees someone else frozen in front of the closets. His time in the Organization has taught him one other thing about remembering the woes of embarrassment--

It's hilarious when it's someone else's problem!]

"You gonna pick one or what?"

[Not that he's gonna kick a guy when they're down, but free entertainment is free entertainment.]

Comments

c

[tabiya]

[ it really wasn't the fact that the options were exclusively dresses that was making xehanort hesitate when faced with a full rack of fabrics. he'd never worn one, but that was more out of stubbornness and practicality than anything else. no, it was the excessive... shapes, patterns and colours, all a little much to process at once.

and that familiar voice does not help ease his confusion one bit. axel's understated presence was much less identifiable here in the living realm, and if he startles a little at being addressed - you didn't see that, okay.

he turns slightly to affix axel with a side-eye scowl, arms crossed and fingers tapping at his arms. ]

There's a lot going on, okay. Colours are weird.

[emberized]

"Colors are weird?"

[Axel smirks as he rests his arms on the wardrobe door, eyes glittering with mischief, almost as brightly as the sparkly fabrics he is draped in.

Ordinarily the sight of Xehanort might have had the Nobody uneasy, but the ball is in his court today and Axel has no intention of letting it go.]

"Well if they're all equally weird, you can't go wrong, right? The clothes aren't gonna walk off that rack on their own."

[A pause.]

"...unless that's one of the effects we're testing for."

[tabiya]

They're not equally weird. There's just-

[ his hand twitches awkwardly, before reaching out for a silvery sundress with a dark-blue ombre down to the hems. as if suddenly worried it was going to fly away. ]

So many of them.

[emberized]

"Yeah, thing about that-- we're supposed to be testing multiple, so best get started."

[Satisfied that Xehanort has at least grabbed something, Axel saunters to the front, reaching for something yellow and green this time. Of course with his uniquely boxy yet curvy frame he could only fit so many options himself.]

"And if that's how you feel about dresses--"

[He pulls open a drawer--]

"Wait until you get to the accessories."

[Several glittering hair clips, brooches, gloves and jewelry sparkle dauntingly.]

[tabiya]

[ yellow and green...? even with his underdeveloped aesthetics, xehanort can't help but raise a questionable eyebrow at the choice. ]

Your dramatics aren't helping, you know.

[ his tone is dour but the accessories get a glance-over anyway. ]

It should be obvious what goes with what, but there's too many options.

a

[activatingcombatmode]

[On the other hand, Zack isn't much of a dresser-upper. Sure, he can rock a suit and looks great in different types of fashion but he hasn't put on a lady's dress before. He's somehow been able to dodge this sort of quest all this time. Amazing!

But Zack seems to be happening by when this whole "event" is happening. He was there when Fairy Fire Fabrics was first established, much like a lot of the other older riftfarers. So it's nice to see the business and the seamstress owner thriving.

And that's why he catches sight of the lanky red head dressed up to the nines.]

Pft. Wow, man. I didn't peg you as the type to crossdress. But cash is cash.

[emberized]

[Well look who it is! Axel flashes something quick and toothy in greeting, collected as ever.]

"Cash is cash," [Axel agrees. It's hardly crossdressing, he is very much a man in a dress; even if the assassin didn't doubt he could wear a face to match. He lightly scoffs.]

"Not that I'm about to replace my daily threads or anything."

[Honestly, Axel has rather enjoyed how often Zack seems to crop up during his work hours. Like a coworker he didn't have to worry he might one day stab; imagine that novelty.]

"So you here to gawk or get fit yourself?"

[activatingcombatmode]

[Hopefully Axel won't have any reasons to ever stab Zack at all! He very well could be that dude that Axel always runs into during work hours. Who knows, maybe that could turn into a working friendship one of these days.

Zack laughs in return.] Nah, I'm not here to try on a dress. I was just checking in, actually. I was one of the paladins that helped this place get off the ground. So I check in every now and then.

[A lot of the paladins do. Just to make sure she's doing okay!]

I heard she's got some serious magic in these dresses, this time. Have you tried it out?

[emberized]

"Yeah? No kidding. She a riftfarer herself?" [Sometimes he had to remember not every other world traveler road around on boats. Then again. This shop was on top of a giant sentient creature. Who knows what magic from this world was inherent vs imported.]

"Checked it, sure. Succeeded, eh."

[Axel holds out a hand to demonstrates, connecting with the mana in the fabric, instead of his latent potential. You might think, in what is clearly a fire-themed red getup that the result would be a flame--
But nope. In a show of 'whimsicality' a couple sparkly lines trace through the air following his arm's movement instead.]

"Sure would go faster with another body to help out."

[Come on Zack, what happened to being a fellow 'workaholic'?]

[activatingcombatmode]

Actually, I'm not all sure if she's a riftfarer. She might be, seeing as her magic's pretty unique. [Zack nods.] But we paladins actually saved her from an asshole corsair that wanted to keep her as a plaything. That was months back.

[It was a messy ordeal... But they saved her! Now she's got her shop here! Success story!]

But it looks like you're a real man on fire, Axel.

[Zack laughs...!!]

What do I get if I help you out? I don't think my body's got what it takes to pull off a dress.

A

[spectacleofphantasmagoria]

[Axel isn't the only one who can rock a dress. Since one key component of some of Lyney's magic tricks is to swap places with his twin sister (literally, including completely swapping outfits), it's imperative that they share a matching physique. It also means this isn't the first time Lyney has worn a dress, and so he knows how to look for one that would work well for his body type. And since he's so used to being whisked away by Chiori every time she wanted someone to model a new outfit, it was easy to allow the shopkeeper to whisk him away to play model for her.]

[Lyney's own chosen outfit is something bold and dramatic, matching his flamboyant style, and even his hat has been swapped out for something more fitting to the outfit. He's admiring his own reflection before he spies the tall redhead, offering a nod of approval.]

It looks like our dear seamstress truly is a master of her craft! You're looking rather fetching, my friend.

A! hellooooo new CR :>

[emberized]

"Heh, they say clothes do 'make the man.'"

[And sometimes that means an incredibly beautiful man. Axel isn't surprised to see someone else taking on this job, easy money is easy money. All the same, he has to note how well the stranger does pull off their fit. He nods his own sentiments right on back.]

"Can't say the same for the magic though, some of these combinations I got no idea how to figure out."

[Can one of these really make you a better 'electrician??' What??]

"What effects you got going on with that apparel?"

Hello hello!

[spectacleofphantasmagoria]

But isn't that the fun of it? I can see why our dear seamstress would have such a unique business; finding out the combinations is half the fun!

[Looking down at his own dress, he spins around, letting the dress flare out around him. While it does, multicoloured sparks dance from the dress in a pretty kaleidoscope of colour.]

Quite fetching, isn't it?

So sorry this got away from me

[emberized]

"Heh, fetching sure. Not sure of the practicality of it."

[But Axel supposes he doesn't mind that much either. It's not like clothing existed solely for a purpose; why not have literal flair with your apparel's?]

"A little hard to advertise if you don't know what piece does what."

[He muses thoughtfully, unclipping a few accessories off himself to search the drawer for a couple more.]

"Think you'll still do that, even if you swap the hat or shoes?"

[spectacleofphantasmagoria]

Does it have to be practical if it looks fabulous? As a good friend of mine says, fashion should be about making a statement, and about bringing your inner self to the surface.

[Hey says it with a playful smirk and a wink. While he was nowhere near as skilled as Chiori at fashion, he’s quite the strutting peacock himself.]

Well, I suppose we will have to keep track of what combination does what effect. But that’s all part of the fun, wouldn’t you say? And if a mere change of hat or shoes causes drastic changes, then it’s our duty to inform potential clients of those changes so they don’t accidentally catch their hair on fire!

A

[brokenlight]

[There's the sound of a shutter being heard as Ventus takes a picture.

He can't help but be amused, lips curled up into a smile.]

You do look very pretty.

[No, Ventus isn't here to participate. He just happened to be on his way when he recognized a certain redhead in a dress. He couldn't pass this opportunity up.]

ajhkh VENTUS

[emberized]

[Axel blinks as he takes a second to register what just happened. Okay... maybe Ven has just unearthed a little bit about what being embarrassed feels like.

Very casually Axel leans over.]

"Careful or I'll tell the seamstress we have another volunteer~"

[Come here you little-- there is a noogie in your future if you're not quick enough! Give him that!]

[brokenlight]

[There's a laugh and Ventus dances out of the way, holding onto the camera.]

Nah, I won't be able to pull it off as well as you can.

[He's gotta show this to the others now.]

[emberized]

[Ven you little Menace! He is so frustratingly proud of you.]

"Oh no you don't--! I think that hair of yours is BEGGING for a BOW!"

[Just you wait Ven, he's taller and his arms are longer!]

"Think you're a little late for the Calendar anyway."

[So your picture is moot.]

[brokenlight]

[And Ventus is faster~

Ventus continues to duck out of the way.]

There's always next year. Maybe I can show it off to Roxas and Sora, though.

B

[forwearemany]

(A robot of Legion's design is a hard thing to fit in a dress, and the people doing the fitting are having a time finding something that even remotely works with their bulky frame, hyper exaggerated curves, excessive tubing, and the giant hole in their chest.

They crane their excessively long neck and peer at the piece of clothing with their single glowing eye.)

This item does not fit any known metric of what organic cultures consider to be "fashionable".

Ajhfj Legion (so sorry for the delay!)

[emberized]

[...Wow Legion, harsh.]

"And you would know about that?" [The Nobody had meant for the retort to come out dry and haughty but an unforeseen note of honest curiosity leaks into his voice anyway. What is he even looking at here? For all Axel knows this level of being dolled up IS what this thing considered the norm.]

"Anyway, fashion-smashion. The goal is to fly, isn't it? So why not go with the one that looks the most like something that does?"

[Err. That is to say, the print could be birds. Maybe. they're so highly stylised in their eye-seering glory that they could just as charitably be identified as chunky frisbees.]

I am not exactly fast either

[forwearemany]

This unit has studied the cultures of multiple organic species.

(They reexamine the item. Funny thing: Humans, and presumably also human like beings, are way better at pattern recognition than most machines. Or in other words: Legion ain't seeing those incredibly dubious bird shapes, bud.)

We do not understand.

Appreciate it <3

[emberized]

"Well, see, if you look at it from this angle, these are the wings, and--"

[...]

"..Why did you even take this job?"

[I mean, at least leggings are one of the easier things to fit on Legion.]

[forwearemany]

We wish to understand the properties of magic.

(Yeah they're not here for the clothes at all, really. Just the flight and other effects.)