crystal.

[elegiaque]

FORM: Crystal
SENDER: Gwenaëlle Baudin
RECIPIENT: You lot.

( this might be the soonest that she's ever begun a crystal message for the gallows after having done one within a month or so. gwenaëlle's voice, again, briskly businesslike: )

Before we all fuck off to parts unknown, if you're within a few inches of my height and happen to wear mostly or ever dresses, and you're in need of something suitable to wear out in the cities, I am clearing a great deal of my old wardrobe. I can help with on the spot alterations, but anything that's going to need to be properly taken apart for you will obviously have to wait.

If you don't need a dress to look presentable in Nevarra City and you just want to rifle through my old clothes for something you might like, that's also fine. I'm doing my prep before we leave, and if I'm not on the boat, Guilfoyle will be. He's a dab hand with a needle.

( on the boat, a profusion of mostly creamy, neutral fabrics have taken over the gallery that opens out from her entrance hall: sorted loosely by styles, fabrics, colours, patterns, the cushions that usually occupy the space shunted into a corner, some dresses that need hanging put up over the top of the art that hangs between the wide windows. there are shoes, some placed with the dresses they were bought to match, others just lined up along the narrow walkaway that rings the room around the conversation pit; several grand hats, a few cloaks and coats.

some of it will be familiar, if you've been here for long enough, but she suspects most of the probable handful people who might be interested won't have been; will not recognise her in the things she is giving away. )

Comments

crystal;

[aberratic]

How many dresses can one claim at once?

[ ness is in such dire need, it's not even funny, really, but she doesn't want to take more than her share. ]

[elegiaque]

( doing some very quick math on the spot and trying to think of how many people might actually take her up on this— )

Not more than five, but I don't imagine I'm going to get swarmed so I don't rule out a second pass.

[aberratic]

[ nodding to herself, ] That's fair. Would you be willing to let me know when you'll be allowing a second pass? It's just I've got the Riftwatch uniform and what I rifted in with and nothing more, so I desperately need to build up a wardrobe, here.

To that end, I'll be making my way to the houseboat shortly!

[elegiaque]

Certainly. Honestly, I don't think the venn diagram of people in Riftwatch and people who are going to want my old dresses is a very large overlap, so— at the very least, before I see about finding somewhere suitable to donate the remainder.

[hassaran]

We're always in need of more options for the Scouting closet, though for my own use it will depend if they've hems that can be let down a few inches.

[elegiaque]

Oh, I can definitely generously donate to Scouting — some have hems enough for that, some of them were a bit long for me in the first place, and I know I have unused fabric from some of them lying around that I'd be happy to part with as well.

( there were a few sweeping trains on gwenaëlle that might just be adequate length for yseult. )

[hassaran]

Thank you, that's helpful. The budget for gowns suitable for society is limited, and we'll need more options if we expand operations.

[ she's not really that much taller anyway, she just has deceptively tall energy. ]

And it will save me reworking the ones we have so often.

[elegiaque]

If you need another pair of hands for that, I'm frequently already sewing in the evenings anyway,

( because the world might end if she see something she thinks she could be useful in and doesn't volunteer for it, probably, )

but I've definitely got more than enough excess to keep you going. ( thoughtfully: ) I'm going to take some things to my grandfather in Orlais, I might be able to bring back some of my mother's old things — my stepmother's — she was taller than I am, and most of it went back to her family. Do you want masques?

crystal

[undergrunn]

( She’s a good half foot taller than Gwenaëlle, and almost doesn’t reply. )

I don’t suppose you’ve anything with enough spare fabric that the skirts could be long enough for me?

( Abella immediately huffs out a sheepish sound, embarrassed by herself. )

Tailoring isn’t really my area of expertise.

[elegiaque]

( in a tone of consideration, )

Probably not to full appropriate length, but we could pin some up and make a knee-length hike look like it was the purposeful style— I'm assuming you won't take offense if I guess you're not urgently going to need to look suitable in a salon.

With the right pair of boots, pretty and practical. Those I can't help you with.

[undergrunn]

Oh.

( ‘Pleasant surprise’ in a single syllable. )

You’re far better informed on fashions here than I am. If you think it could work, I’d love that.

( Perhaps she wishes she had more qualities that made her seem more someone who’d be going to a salon. Realistically, though, she’s got no interest in drifting into a salon. That isn’t really on her radar right now. )

And if you know a good cobbler, I can figure out the boots eventually.

[elegiaque]

I can ask Guilfoyle, ( is slightly more tactful than not one in your price range, ) that isn't any trouble. As for the fashion, well— it's a practical thing. I have particular hikes that I use for a variety of dresses, ( thank you to abby for one of her most frequently used satinalia gifts, ) something like that might suit, or just tacking the skirt up directly, since it isn't as if it'd need to be let down again.

It's practical, more than fashionable, but it won't mark you for strange.

[youwonscience]

If other people have more of a need, it's not urgent, but I might take a look at some of the extra fabric if you don't mind. Even if I'm mostly working from the Gallows, I'll probably be taking some meetings now and then with people who expect more of a nod to local standards than a chance to say "wow, I met an exotic rifter." [The latter of which she's been actively capitalizing on for years. Still, other than her boots, the things she arrived in are starting to wear out and her day-to-day wear is more practical Thedosian these days.]

[elegiaque]

I really don't think it's going to be an issue of not having enough to go around, ( is ruefully self-aware. ) If there's fabric in the dresses you like, too, I don't mind taking them apart and giving you the parts.

[youwonscience]

Thanks, I may take you up on that. I know how to handle mending, but actual garment construction or deconstruction seems better left to people who know what they're doing.

Also, all of us who've been here at any length know it's definitely only a matter of time before we end up invited to another fancy party, so may as well prepare a little.

[elegiaque]

They're surprisingly difficult to avoid if you haven't recently done terrorism.

[brennvin]

( For obvious reasons, Astrid’s managed to avoid any Scouting mission which might need her to clean up and be less of a grubby goblin, but that won’t be forever. So she finally, grudgingly admits: )

I guess I need something which isn’t the Riftwatch uniform or pelts. Y’know, just in case.

[elegiaque]

( astrid is only not the tallest answer so far because abella exists, so gwenaëlle hums thoughtfully, )

It'll probably be another pinning it about the knees situation, you're half a foot taller than I am, but we can make that work.

[brennvin]

It doesn’t need to be immediate, I don’t think I’ve any invites to any fancy balls or what-the-fuck-ever. ( Yet?? ) But yeh, I figure at least having the option’s a good idea for when it’s needed.

( A beat, thinking, then she mutters: ) Ugh, I’m gonna look so stupid.

private;

[wythersake]

If you've scraps from the alterations, or any particularly little buttons —

private ∞

[elegiaque]

I need you to know it's weird that this is private.

( but he's not anders, so she responds in kind, instead of immediately exposing him for being desirous of buttons, )

You can have some buttons. I'll go through and see what sort of scraps are leftover, I did start taking some dresses apart that I wanted pieces of; how small is too small?

[wythersake]

Mn, as possible, frankly. I've taken a look at dolls in market, and they seem roughly rat-sized.

[armd]

Is it only dresses? Any accessories?

[elegiaque]

There's shoes, which I don't think are going to be very useful to you, some hats, a couple of cloaks—

[armd]

Hold a cloak for me?